The Vampire Game
by kenilyn
Summary: Vanessa Anne isn't your average punk fifteen year-old girl. She's a full blooded Vampire since birth, assistant to Larten Crepsley. But what will happen when she meets Darren Shan and Steve Leonard, two boys with which her String of Destiny is tied to? *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, well, this is the fanfic that started it all. I know what you're thinking. "Vanessa…really? Can't you be more original?" I could, but since this is the first one I've actually ever thought of, I have to preserve it, and that means keeping her name…sorry!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Darren Shan Saga, as much as I wish it were so, Darren Shan does! Enjoy.**

"Vanessa, wake up." a voice shouted. I screamed and jumped up, dagger in my hand. I then realized who it was. I sighed in relief and put my knife back on the hammock. "Goodness, Larten, you scared me…why am I up so early?" I asked him, looking out through the tent entrance, seeing it was daylight. He scratched the scar that ran along his jaw and replied.

"Vanessa, I was not fooling around when Mr. Tall and I told you that you would be attending school here." He said, pulling out a neon green backpack with random dinosaurs on it. I glared at him and groaned. "Why now? Why here?" I never had to go to school in any of the other places, so this really ticked me off. He frowned. "I will not question Mr. Tall, Vanessa. He has his reasons." I groaned and shoved him out of my tent. "Fine" I grumbled. He patted me on the head and then was gone in a flash.

I sighed and went to my bag. I pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a black shirt that said 'bite me, I'm Romanian.' Then I combed through my hair and straightened it. Evra walked in then and started laughing. "You loser, you have to go to public school…how did you get electricity?" he said. I rolled my eyes. "You're just jealous because you have to be schooled here at the Cirque and I really don't know, Mr. Tall arranged it for me so that I could make myself more dramatic for the show." I said. He nodded.

He held out something. I looked at it. It was one of his yellowy-green scales. I grinned and took it. "For good luck." He said. I hugged him. "Thanks bubba!" I said. He rolled his eyes. I hurriedly finished my hair and slung my pack on. I walked out the tent, talking to Evra, when I almost tripped over a Little Person. I flushed. "Sorry!" I exclaimed. They shook their fist and walked away. I walked towards the outside of camp to find Mr. Tall waiting for me.

I smiled, putting my aviators on. "You taking me, Shorty?" I asked. He rolled his eyes but nodded. I climbed into the taxi waiting outside of the abandoned theatre where we would be performing in a few nights and sat with Mr. Tall in silence as we headed towards the school. Then we pulled up. I took a deep breath in and looked at Mr. Tall. "Here I go." I muttered. He smiled. "You'll do fine." He encouraged. He patted me on the head and climbed out of the taxi.

I took out my schedule and looked at it as I walked up to the stairs when I ran into a boy. I stumbled backwards as one of his friends caught me by the wrist and pulled me up. I flushed. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I cried. He laughed and looked at me. I froze. God, he's so cute… he grinned. "Don't sweat it." he extended his hand and shook it. "My name's Steve Leonard, you?" he asked. I smiled. "Vanessa Crepsley." I said, using my usual fake name. One of the guys cleared his throat. "Hey, Steve, we gotta go, Mr. Dalton is going to kill us." He said. I grinned. "Can I sit with you guys? I'm new here and he's my first class." I said. The guys snickered. Steve smiled. "Yeah, sure." He put his arm around my shoulders. "We'll be your guides." He said, plucking my schedule from my hands.

I followed them all to Mr. Dalton's class. They were sitting in groups of six and with me sitting with Steve and his friends, we filled the group set up. When I thought no one was looking, I took out the scale Evra had given me, kissed it, and rubbed it between my hands for good luck. "What are you doing?" one of the guys asked. I flushed. "It's a thing I do for good luck." I said quickly. He shrugged then smiled. "Name's Darren Shan, by the way." He said. I smiled as he introduced me to Alan, Tommy, and Tony.

Mr. Dalton came in then and started taking role. I slumped in my seat. "We have a new student who will be joining us for a short while, a transfer student from Romania." He said. He looked at me. "That means introduce yourself." He hinted. Everyone laughed as I stood up.

"Um, my name is Vanessa Crepsley." I said. A lot of the guys were still staring at me when I sat down. Then, I noticed a neon green piece of paper in Tommy's hand that in bold letters at the top said Cirque Du Freak. Then Mr. Dalton snapped it up and chastised them about how wrong it was. He kept trash talking it and it pissed me off. I was relieved when he finally got off the topic and started passing out papers, telling us what we were going to be doing.

After our group got our papers, Darren laughed. "What's up with you, Vann?" he teased. I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it." I paused and looked at them all. "You guys aren't going are you?" I asked. They shrugged. I rolled my eyes. "You shouldn't, I went once in my old town…it sucked." I lied. In reality, it was the best thing in the world, but I couldn't let them see me there…

Steve gave me back my schedule and told me where my classes were and if I had them with anyone from our group, which thankfully I did. We also all had the same lunch. Steve laughed. "You're a little stalker, you have a lot of classes with me." he said. I laughed. Tony grinned, "So, do you like soccer, Vann?" he asked. I shrugged. "I guess." I looked around at them all. "I'm guessing you guys play soccer at lunch." They grinned. I grinned too. "Looks like I got a lot of butt to kick then." I laughed. They roared with laughter.

The rest of my classes flew by pretty fast until it was my lunch period. I followed Darren from science to where they played soccer. We sat down on the grass and started taking out our lunch when Steve came up and plopped down in between us. I smiled then took out my cupcake. My mouth watered and I could feel my teeth sharpening into fangs for this wasn't any ordinary cupcake, it was a juicy, blood filled one made to fit my special diet. I saw the guys eyeing it and I quickly wolfed it down. Steve kept staring at me.

By then, the rest of the group and other guys came up, all ready to play soccer. I grinned. "Okay, what are the teams?" I asked. Steve counted everyone up. "Okay, there are twelve of us so I guess Vann can be on our team and then you six will be a team." He said. Everyone nodded and we began to play.

At first, everyone was going easy on me…then they realized that the short, five foot two chick was good at soccer. In the end, my team won 26 to 7. Steve was laughing as we walked down the hallway to our next class. "You're pretty good." He said. I shrugged. "I try." I said. He rolled his eyes. "Hey, want to come over after school today?" he asked when we sat down in math class. I blushed. A cute boy just asked me to come over. "Sure, if it's okay with my dad." I replied.

He grinned. "cool." He looked at my shirt. "So, you like vampires?" he asked. I smiled. How ironic. He was asking a vampire if they liked vampires. I nodded. We were half way through class when a voice came over the intercom. "Vanessa Crepsley, please come to the office, you are being sent home." A nasty woman's voice said. I frowned and looked at Steve. "Where is that?" I asked as I put my stuff in my backpack. He stood up. "I'll show you." He said. I picked up my bag and followed him out the door and down the halls.

I think we were almost to the front of the school when he suddenly stopped. I stopped too and looked at him. "What?" I asked him. He looked at me strange then said. "I usually don't say this but I really enjoyed getting to know you." He said. I blushed. "Yeah, same here." I said. He grinned. "So, doing anything Friday?" he asked. I nodded. "Family commitment." I said, starting to walk down the hall again. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm, yanked me towards him and kissed me, full on the mouth. My already fast beating heart pounded faster and harder. I kissed him back. I could tell he had family issues because there was anger leaking into the kiss some, along with passion.

Then we parted. His eyes were wild. I flushed. I never thought that my first kiss would be with a human… he grinned and took my hand, leading me down to the office where a tall man was waiting for me. He rose and raised an eyebrow when he noticed my hand in Steve's. I casually took it away and hugged him. "Bye Steve, I'll see you later." I said. He nodded. "Yeah, um, here." He took a piece of paper off the desk and wrote down an address then handed me the paper. "It's my address, you can still come by if you want." He said. I smiled. "Thanks." I said. He smiled, then turned and left. I looked at Mr. Tall.

"Why am I being signed out?" I asked him, curious. He sighed. "Evra's snake got out and bit Larten and the Wolf Man and we need you to suck out the venom." He said, rolling his eyes. I laughed. "Of course you do if the Wolf Man is involved." I said as I walked out the office. He shrugged. I stretched, seeing that there was no taxi. He sighed. "You don't have to." He said. I grinned at him. "First one back gets the other's chocolate cake!" I cried. He grinned. Then I sped off, going faster than any human could imagine. Flitting was one of the best feelings in the world. It was nice to feel the wind rush through my hair. I stopped in the middle of camp to find Mr. Tall looking down at me, smiling. I groaned as he laughed and took me to the tent where Mr. Crepsley was laying in his coffin, face rigid with pain.

Then he scratched the scar running across his face. I rolled my eyes at the red haired mad man. "Where's the bite? You told me it was better to suck from the point of entry." I said. He opened his eyes and sat up some so I could see the snake bites in his neck…it wasn't pretty. I laughed. "Ooh, now I can be a real vampire." He glared at me. "Vanessa Anne, just suck it out already, I am growing weary of this pain, I must begin your training soon." He reminded me. I sighed and walked over, placing one hand on his shoulder, the other on the side of his head. I inhaled deeply and then bit his neck and sucked out the venom. When all I could taste was the blood of himself and his assaulted victims, I stopped. The blood was thick and warm and tasted so good. Mr. Crepsley looked at me.

"Do not swallow that, Vanessa, it still has the venom." He said. I frowned and went outside to spit the blood out on the ground, narrowly avoiding spitting on Evra's feet. He laughed. "Tainted?" he asked. I frowned and nodded. "The blood with the venom." I said sadly. He put his arm around me, laughing. "S'okay runt, you can suck mine anytime." He said with a teasing wink. We cracked up laughing. Then Mr. Crepsley came out and led me to the Wolf Man's cage. I could hear his breathing from across the camp, with my vampire senses, and he did not sound happy. When the cage was in sight, I stole a piece of meat from a passing Little Person and ran to the cage, giving it to the Wolf Man. He ate it quickly, tearing it to shreds in the process. I laughed.

"It's okay, buddy. I'll make it better." I stepped aside and let Mr. Crepsley unlock the cage, then I slowly walked in, as to not scare him. He froze when I came in, but then relaxed when he recognized my scent. It was hard to find the entry site of the venom, left arm was swollen in one particular place. I lifted his arm to my mouth, bit, and sucked just as I had with Mr. Crepsley.

I soon finished and was able to go back to my tent. I threw my backpack on the floor and sat on my hammock, looking at the address Steve had given me. Mr. Crepsley walked in then. "Are you ready for your lesson?" he asked. I looked up at him. "Not really…can I skip today and go to Steve's house? He invited me to hang out with him and Darren." I asked him. His brows furrowed. "And why should I permit you to do so?" he asked. I shrugged, not wanting to admit that I secretly liked a human. "They were talking about the Cirque today and I think they plan on going Friday." I said.

He looked thoughtful as he scratched his scar, as always. He sighed. "You will have a lot to make up tomorrow, do you understand that?" he said. I squealed and glomped him. **(A/N: for those of you that don't know, a glomp is like when you run towards someone, practically jumps on them and hug/cling to them out of excitement.)** "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried. He rolled his eyes.

I went to my foot locker under my hammock and pulled out my plush skelanimal backpack and threw in my phone, iPod, and the book I was currently reading, Alice in Wonderland. I threw it on my back and was about to leave when Mr. Crepsley stopped me in the doorway of my tent. I frowned. "What?" I asked. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Vanessa, your clothes are covered in blood." He informed me.

I looked down and, sure enough, I was wearing blood soaked clothes. I pushed him out of my tent and changed into a black, layered ruffle skirt that went to the middle of my thigh, my black and white death bat t-shirt, and my blood red cloak…what can I say, Mr. Crepsley rubbed off on me. I quickly pulled on a pair of jet black, knee high converse with neon green laces.

I walked out and met Mr. Tall outside of camp. I smiled. "I'm walking." I said, knowing that he already knew what my plans would be. He smiled and continued walking into camp. I took out my iPod and listened to _Break the Ice_ as I jogged to Steve's house.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER! TH ONLY CHARACTER I OWN IS VANESSA, DARREN SHAN OWNS EVERYONE ELSE! AND THE REAL, PUBLISHED, LEGIT BOOK!**

**Ok, so, warning! This chapter gets a little intense… enjoy!**

When I got to his house, it was about four. I smiled. I looked around and froze a puddle on the ground and looked at my reflection. I smiled and defrosted the ice and put my iPod back in my pack. Then, I took a deep breath and walked up the steps to his front door and rang the bell. A woman yelled out, "Get the door!" followed by a guy's voice calling back, "I'm on my way." My heart fluttered when I noticed that I sounded like Steve's. I heard him thundering down the stairs and his footsteps down the hall. He opened the door and paused, his eyes widening.

I flushed. He was shirtless and had a hint of a six pack. Then he grinned and leaned against the doorway while looking me up and down. "Well well, look who came over." He said. I grinned. "Well, you did invite me." I teased. He laughed. "I honestly didn't think you'd come…you look really good by the way." He said. I blushed. "Why wouldn't I? And you look pretty good yourself." I added with a wink. He blushed a little at my remark then shrugged.

"You just don't seem to be the kind of girl that'd hang out with a guy like me." he said, tossing me a seductive smile. I flushed as Darren popped in. "Oh, hey Vanessa! No wonder Steve's taking so long to come back up." he taunted, looking me up and down. Steve elbowed him. I suddenly felt like I was being watched by someone other than Darren and Steve, then I heard a noise in the bush that only a certain snake boy could make. I frowned. "Excuse me." I said.

They looked confused but let me go. I looked around and picked up a small rock that was on the porch and walked around to the side of the house where Evra was. I then threw the rock as hard as I could and heard a sharp cry of pain. "What are you doing here?" I hissed as I saw Evra emerge from the bush, rubbing the side of his head. "I was wondering where you were going." He muttered. I frowned. "Go back to camp, Evra! I'm on a personal trip!" I hissed. Then I heard footsteps and froze. "Hey, what are you doing, Vann?" Steve shouted. I pushed Evra. "GO! And take my cloak; you don't want to freak out little toddlers." I whispered furiously, throwing it at him. He frowned but did as he was told.

I quickly walked around the side of the house and ran into Steve. I flushed and backed away some. "Sorry, I thought I heard a noise." I said. He rolled his eyes and just stared at me. "What happened to your cloak?" he asked me. "I put it in my pack." I lied without skipping a beat. He rolled his eyes and picked me up, slinging me over his shoulder. I squealed. "Steve! Put me down!" I cried out. He laughed and slapped my butt. I cried out in surprise. "Steve Leonard!" I shouted, giggling. Then we came up to the porch and Steve stopped. "What?" he asked. "Uh…I can kind of see her ass…" Darren said. I gasped and started pounding on his back as he and Darren laughed and carried me into the house.

"Who is that?" a woman cried. "It's just a girl from school, mom!" Steve shouted. She didn't say anything after that so he continued walking up to his room. When we arrived at our destination, he tossed me onto the bed, smirking. I glared at him and then closed my eyes and stuck my nose up in the air. He laughed at me and threw a book at me. I cracked up laughing and so did they. Then I snorted.

Dead silence.

We all stared at each other before cracking up again. Then I looked at the book he threw at me and froze. It was a collection of vampire stories along with the history of some vampires…the one with Mr. Crepsley in it. I shrugged it off and tossed it.

"What's up with you leaving early?" Darren asked. I sighed, anticipating the question. "My brother's snake got out and we haven't taken her venom out this month yet and she bit my dad so my uncle came and picked me up." I lied. They nodded. I smiled. We chatted for awhile, eating pizza and drinking soda like any other unhealthy teen until about seven when Darren had to leave. I hugged him and then waited in Steve's room as he escorted him to the door.

I took out Alice and Wonderland and started reading, getting lost in the distant world until the book was suddenly plucked from my hands. I looked up in surprise and saw Steve kicking his door close and tossing the book onto his comic cluttered desk. I frowned. "I was reading that." I complained. He laughed softly. "Oh well." He said, slowly approaching the bed. My heart raced as I gazed into his eyes. He took my breath away.

I started to stand up, expecting an embrace followed by a kiss, but he gently pushed me onto the bed until I was lying flat on my back. My heart jumped into a sprint. He crawled onto the bed and rested his knees on either side of my hips and his hands on either side of my head. We stayed like that for a few moments in silence, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Now what?" I whispered. He smiled and leaned in and kissed me. I could tell by the kiss that he wasn't going to hold back very much, so I didn't either. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to him. He moaned and rolled over carefully so that now I was lying on top of his chest. He grabbed a fistful of my hair with one hand and slid his hand under my shirt just enough that his hand was on the small of the back.

My iPod had been playing and then the song Scream by Avenged Sevenfold started playing as we parted. He laughed. "How fitting." He growled, pulling my hair down so we could continue our kiss. I could hear his heart pumping and it added to the experience. Then, my phone went off.

I sighed and crawled over Steve towards my bag and pulled out the ringing object. I looked at the caller ID. Evra Von. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked, breathless. Steve groaned and rolled over. He crawled on top of me and laid there kissing my neck and nibbling my ear. "Hey…are you okay?" Evra asked. I laughed. "I'm more than okay." I said. Steve laughed at that, Evra heard him. "Who was that? Okay, you know what, never mind, Mr. Crepsley wants you back at camp…now." I frowned. "Why? What happened?" I asked. He hesitated. "Mr. Tiny's coming." He said before hanging up. I groaned.

Steve wrapped his arms around my waist. "What's wrong babe?" he murmured into my ear. I sighed. "My evil grandfather is coming so I have to go…I swear, he has it out for me." I muttered. He laughed. "He must be jealous of your good looks." He teased. I rolled my eyes and rolled over. "Can you let go of me? I need to get up." he rolled his eyes but complied. I was suddenly cold. I looked down at myself and saw that my shoes were off…along with my skirt. I looked at Steve. All he was wearing were his boxers. I frowned.

"When did that happen?" I asked. He smiled wickedly. "Don't matter." He said. I shrugged and looked around for my clothes and my book. I found my book and my shoes but…I couldn't find my skirt. I turned and started at Steve, my hands on my hips. "Hand it over." I said. He frowned and tossed me my skirt. I quickly pulled it on. "Thank you." I said sweetly. He rolled his eyes playfully. Then I pulled on my shoes as Steve pulled on his pants and a shirt. I picked up my bag and followed him downstairs to the front door. We stepped out and I shivered, it was cold.

"I should've brought a jacket." I muttered, cursing myself for giving Evra one of my cloaks. He pulled me back in and quickly ran upstairs then came back down a few moments later with a dark blue jacket. I shrugged of my pack and he helped me put on the jacket. I smelled it and sighed contently. It smelled just like him. He laughed. I giggled and blushed.

"So, um…I was wondering…" he began. I looked up at him. I heard his heart start to speed up again. "What?" I asked. He looked at me and took of a simple silver ring he was wearing and presented it to me. "Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked. My mouth dropped.

"Oh my gosh, I thought you'd never ask!" I squealed. I glomped him and he swung me around in a circle. He set me down, kissed me lightly on the lips and slipped the ring on my thumb. I sighed contently. He picked me up bridal style and walked down the porch. Then he paused and looked down at me. "Where do you live?" he asked me. I groaned on the inside. "Look, I know you're trying to be nice and all but…my dad doesn't approve of me having boyfriends so…yeah." I said lamely. He shrugged and set me down on my feet. "Okay then." He said. He tilted my face up and kissed me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and stood on my tippy toes. Then we parted and he walked back up to his porch. Before he could turn around, I flitted back home, heart full of joy and anxiety.

I entered camp and let me tell you, everyone was rushing around as if we had two shows at once. Someone placed a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Mr. Crepsley looking at me. I frowned. "Why is he coming?" I asked him. He frowned. "He is not very happy with whatever decisions you have made today most likely." He said. I flushed and looked at my hands. "Now then, go get cleaned up, Vanessa. I will not tolerate this fashion of clothing while Mr. Tiny is afoot." He said. I nodded and darted to my tent and stripped.

I slipped into my jet black cocktail dress and pulled on my blood red hooded cloak with elaborate black stitching. I walked out barefoot to meet my mentor, also barefoot and clad in a red cloak. I smiled at him and, like usual, we threw our hoods on in perfect harmony and went to the front of the camp where we waited for Mr. Tiny.

I was nervous. A strong wind started blowing and I started to get chilly. I edged a little closer to Mr. Crepsley and held his hand for comfort. He squeezed my hand and scratched his scar. I looked up at him. The way the wind was blowing made his red hair seem like a crackling fire. I sighed and looked forward as I saw Little People easing through the gloom, following their grim leader.

Mr. Tiny.


	3. Chapter 3: Mr Tiny

**I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT VANESSA ARRA VUR ANNE CREPSLEY!**

I clutched to Mr. Crepsley's arm as Mr. Tiny and the Little People edged closer. Strangely, he put his arm around me and rubbed my shoulder. I looked up at him. He smiled encouragingly. Then Mr. Tiny came before us. He was a short, squat man who wore rain boots. He had this clock watch thing that he used to tell the time…like, era. His name is Desmond Tiny. He likes to be called Des, though. So, put his nickname and his last name together and what do you get? Destiny. Coincidence? Heck no.

Mr. Tall gave him as small bow as he greeted his father. "Hello, Desmond. It's a pleasure to see you, as always." He said. "It's good to see you too, Hibernius." He replied curtly. He waddled over to me and Mr. Crepsley. "Hello, Mr. Tiny, I hope you have been well?" he said, giving him a small bow as well. He smiled. "Very well, Larten. I would ask the same of you, but I already know." He said giving him a wink.

Then he turned to me and extended his arms. "Ah, Vanessa Arra Vur Anne Crepsley." He said. I froze and felt Mr. Crepsley stiffen next to me. I cleared my throat and curtsied. "Hello, Desmond. It's an unexpected pleasure to see you, as always." I said. He smiled. "I know you have been rather well, now haven't you?" he asked, poking my thumb with the ring that Steve gave me. I flushed. I looked up at my mentor, who was scratching his scar, deep in thought.

"Maybe we should speak of this matter elsewhere?" he suggested. Mr. Tiny smiled. "What a grand idea." He said, walking towards Mr. Tall's tent. Mr. Crepsley gave me a '_what is he talking about?_ 'look. I sighed. "You'll see." I muttered. He frowned. We walked in and took our hoods off in unison. Mr. Tiny seemed to get a kick out of that. He smiled.

"I never knew how much slack you cut your apprentice, Larten." He began. I cringed on the inside. "I do not, I let her skip her lesson today, but she will complete both tomorrow." He said, staring at me. Mr. Tiny laughed. "That's not what I'm speaking of." He said. Mr. Crepsley seemed puzzled. "Do enlighten me." he said. Mr. Tiny smiled at me. "Your apprentice, vampire princess, whatever you would like to call her, has fallen in love with a human." He said. Mr. Crepsley's eyes widened some and looked at me, bewildered.

"Oh really?" he said in a parental tone. I flushed and gave him the thumbs up. He furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed the ring. "Yes, really. In fact, he will be the one responsible her downfall." He said. I froze. "What?" I cried. He smiled and nodded. Mr. Crepsley frowned. "Who is this human boy exactly?" He asked. I thought of how Steve looked and morphed into him. I looked at Mr. Crepsley. "Steve Leonard." I said quietly. He scratched his scar as I morphed back into myself.

"Vanessa, go start your studies, Larten will join you momentarily." Mr. Tiny ordered. I nodded and left. A great wind arose as I strode purposefully through the camp. Evra ran to my side, wearing my other cloak. "Vanessa, what's up?" he asked. I stopped and looked at him. "I'm going to be killed by a human." I muttered. I screamed out of frustration. "Do you know how bad this is? I've been a full blooded vampire since birth, growing stronger each day. I'm the one and only, the very first vampire princess and my life will be cut short by a human! A human I've fallen in love with!" I cried. His eyes widened.

I flitted to my tent and grabbed my iPod and my dagger. I put it on and listened to my favorite song as I walked to the front of camp. Mr. Tiny, Mr. Crepsley, and Mr. Tall all walked out of Mr. Tall's tent as I left. I knew they saw me, but they let me go. I was walking through the streets and before I knew it, I was walking down Steve's street. I was so conflicted. I knew I should break it off, to protect myself, but my heart wouldn't allow it. I screamed and picked up a rock and threw it as hard as I could down the street. I kept doing so, cursing myself when I heard my name.

"Vanessa? Is that you?" a guy's voice called out. I dropped the rock I was holding and looked towards the voice. Steve. I hesitated. Just before I could run, he started walking towards me. _Crap, too late to flit…_ I thought as he came closer. He was wearing nothing but boxers. He looked me up and down. "Someone looks fancy." He yawned. I smiled. "Um, yeah." I said. He stretched. "What are you doing out here so late?" he asked. I frowned. Late? I looked at my iPod and saw that it was nearly midnight. I sighed.

"I don't know. My grandpa ticked me off so I just left." I muttered. He frowned. "What happened?" he asked me. I hesitated. He shrugged. "You don't have to tell me, its okay." He said. I smiled weakly. "Thanks." I mumbled. Then it started raining. "Shit! Come on Vanessa, you might as well come in." he said with a wink. I smiled and took his hand as we ran to his front porch. He frowned when he saw that I was barefoot. I shrugged as he rolled his eyes. He held the door open for me. I walked in and saw an angry looking woman. I froze.

"Who the hell is this?" she cried. He frowned. "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Vanessa Crepsley." He said warily. That didn't ease her anger. "And? What makes you think you can have young girls come over in the middle of the night? Look at her, she's a little tramp!" she yelled. Now my blood was boiling, I didn't say anything though. Steve did. "Shut up, mom! She's not a tramp and she just happened to be outside when it started raining so I let her in, and she's not a freaking tramp!" he yelled back, fuming, obviously stressing the point that I wasn't a tramp.

I took a deep breath in and let it out. "It's okay Steve, I should probably go anyways." I said quietly, backing away. He grabbed my arm. "Vanessa, no. you don't have to leave because my mom's drunk. Stay here, I'll make my bed for you." He said. I felt a little uncomfortable, but I complied. I looked back to his mother. She did look a little drunk. "Get out." She said. I frowned.

"Mrs. Leonard, not meaning to be disrespectful, but no. My family is fighting right now so my dad had me leave." I lied. She snorted. "Like I care, just get the hell out of my house and stay away from my son you little slut." She said. That's it.

The temperature began to rise with my temper. She started to look horrified as her body came closer to me against her will. "Don't call me a slut. If anything, I'm your worst nightmare." I whispered. I let go of the control of her body and she passed out just as Steve came down. He looked confused. "I guess she was drunk." He laughed. I helped him pick her up and set her on the couch.

He then picked me up bridal style and carried me to his room. I frowned. "You mind if I take a shower? I feel…bleh." I said. He laughed and led me to the bathroom. He showed me where everything was and then left me alone. I quickly took a hot shower, eager to be with Steve once more, and dried myself off. Then I noticed that my clothes were missing. I wrapped the towel around me and walked over into Steve's room and frowned. He was lying in his bed, playing with my dress. I sighed.

"Give me my dress, Steve." I said, approaching him. He sat up and pulled me onto his lap. "What do I get in return?" he asked. I wrapped my arms around him. "A happy girlfriend?" I suggested. He laughed and gave it to me. I pushed him out of his room and dropped my towel. I hesitated before pulling my dress on. I went to his closet and grabbed a t-shirt and took the hanger and hung up my dress. Then, warm arms wrapped themselves around me.

"You're wearing my shirt." He murmured into my ear. I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to mine. "Mmhmm." I said. He smiled. "You look adorable." He said, wrapping my legs around his waist. I giggled. He sat down on his bed and kissed me, which I participated in.

The doorbell rang then. We froze. "Were you expecting anyone?" I whispered. He shook his head. He unwrapped my legs and sat me on the bed and pulled on some pants. I went to his drawers and took out a pair of plaid boxers and pulled them on. He rolled his eyes playfully and we went to answer the door. We opened it and there on the steps was a happy Darren.

"Steve! The Cirque Du Freak is having an exclusive show tonight! Only, like, twenty people got tickets, including us!" he said. My mouth dropped. "Crap!" I cried. They looked at me, confused as I ran as fast as a normal human would to Steve's room. I quickly stripped and threw on my dress and cloak and raced back downstairs. They gave me a wtf look.

"Vanessa, where you going?" Steve asked. I looked at him and sighed, knowing my relationship with him was probably about to end. "Home…I'll see you soon." I said, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Then I raced out the door, pulled on my hood, and flitted to the abandoned theatre where everyone was rushing around for the show. I ran into Mr. Crepsley. "Why are we having a show?" I cried. He looked surprised. "How did you know?" he asked. I grounded my teeth. "Because my boyfriend's best friend just came by his house with tickets for the show tonight for the two of them." I shouted. He sighed. "Vanessa, just go get ready for the show, he would have found out sooner or later." He said. I sighed but did as I was told.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER!...!: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT VANESSA!**

**Shout out time! Shout outs to…-drum roll-**

**Sapphiet, MOONLIGHT-97, Kelsey112, YouAintSeenNothinYet, and Kexy Kewl! Your reviews mean a lot! And I got a review asking about Vanessa, well, I can promise you that you'll understand why! :D ENJOY**

I walked into my tent and froze in the doorway. My tent was a wreck. No doubt Mr. Tiny had something to do with it. I sighed and picked up the outfit I wore for the shows off my makeshift dresser. I grinned. Truska had made me a new outfit. It was a white, button up shirt with a red and black plaid tie. Then I had a plaid miniskirt, also red and black. I pulled on the outfit and then my jet black knee high converse, relacing them with red laces.

I looked at the bucket of water I had in my room and concentrated. Then the water rose and formed an oval shape and I froze it, to use as a mirror. I gasped when I saw how low the top was and how fitted the outfit was. It made my lady figure pop out, especially the top. I frowned. I pulled my cloak back on and flitted to Truska's van for hair and makeup.

I cringed on the inside when she dyed my creamy brown hair black, like usual, and put red streaks in it. Then she straightened it and teased it some. Then she put the face makeup on and when she was finished, I truly looked undead. I grinned, hugged and thanked her, then left.

I went to help Evra and when he saw me, his eyes bugged out of his head and he circled me, looking me up and down licking his lips with his snakey tongue. I slapped the sense back into him and we continued. I have to admit, that was a lose-lose situation, his scales were slightly sharp so it hurt my hand some and his face a lot.

I went to Mr. Tall's tent to speak with him and when he saw me, he raised an eyebrow. I rolled my eyes. "What all am I doing tonight besides helping Mr. Crepsley with his act?" I asked. Mr. Tall smiled. "You will be greeting people, and your help won't be necessary. We are short on performers tonight so I will help Larten and you will do your own performance." He said. My eyes narrowed, but I didn't say anything. I went to the front entrance of the abandoned theatre and waited.

People began to arrive then. I quickly pulled my fiery red cloak around me, throwing on the hood when I heard Darren and Steve. "Man, this is so cool! Dude, look! Front row seats!" Darren whispered to Steve. Steve grinned. "I know right! We should get them before anyone else does. It's a shame Vanessa couldn't come…I wonder what's up with her." He said, muttering the last part to himself. I frowned and shape shifted into a man that I've fed on in the past and intervened in their conversation.

"Well, maybe she's pissy." I suggested. They looked kind of freaked out and they hurriedly ran to the front of the theatre. I grinned and greeted everyone. I rushed backstage and morphed back into myself just as I ran into my mentor. I was nervous.

"We are not nervous now, are we Vanessa?" he teased. I rolled my eyes. "Just a little." I said he smiled. "I think you will be fine, my dear. Now remember, you are to perform after Hibernius and myself." He reminded me. I nodded and went and sat on the floor by Evra, chatting quietly until halftime when the merchandise was going around the audience. I looked under the curtains and saw Steve and Darren trying to get a Little Person to talk. I frowned. "That's my job." I muttered. Evra laughed quietly.

Then Mr. Crepsley came up behind me. "Vanessa, do you wish to assist me in the show?" he asked. I frowned and stood up, facing him. "I thought Mr. Tall was helping you." I stated bluntly. He smiled. "I believe it to be more appropriate for my assistant to assist me." he said with a wry smile. I grinned. Then he frowned. "What happened to your hair?" he asked. I smiled.

I didn't want my hair to look like it always did so I had flitted to my tent, washed it out, and then dried and curled it. I didn't get to tell him that though because Truska came off stage and gave us a wink. I took a deep breath and, like always, flipped my hood on at the same time as my mentor.

I picked up Madam Octa, Crepsley's spider, and took her to the small table. Then Mr. Crepsley flipped his hood off. I kept mine on. I could tell he was slightly annoyed by that. "Hello. My name is Larten Crepsley and this is my young assistant with my spider, Madam Octa." He said. I morphed into a different looking girl and flipped my hood off.

Then, we went on with our show. We made her lift little weights, have a little tea party, and suck a goat dry. Then my favorite part, making her form a web in Mr. Crepsley's mouth. As I did so, I let my eyes shift to Darren and Steve, puzzled by the horrified look on his face. Then I remembered the book. I quickly shoved it out of my mind as Madam Octa slowed down.

When we finished we bowed low and Mr. Crepsley left the stage with Madam Octa in her cage. I hesitated for a moment then smiled darkly. "Hello lovers of the otherworldly things. You are about to witness something never before seen." I said in a low, menacing voice. I saw that someone in the front left row had a drink in their hands. I raised my hand slowly and smiled. Suddenly, the person stood up and started walking towards me, a horrified look on his face.

"What's happening? Why can't I control my body?" he exclaimed. I laughed. "Because you no longer have control...I do." I whispered. He then stopped. I concentrated on the cup and the liquid slowly rose in the air. I started making it spin around in a circle, then in an orb. I got bored so I decided to form the water into a rose, everyone oohed and awed…until I threw the liquid at the man, freezing his feet to the stage. I gave him back his will and he tried to break the ice, but every time he broke a chunk off, it'd turn to water and refreeze in the same place. Then he fell on his butt and stared at me.

A woman shrieked when she saw me morph into the man. I heard gasps in the audience. I looked around at the audience, changing into ones I picked at random. Then a guy in the back stood up and stammered, "W-who are you?" I smiled. Suddenly, I was up in his face, smiling, for I had flitted. "You worst nightmare." I growled. He sat down slowly, shocked and horrified as I slowly walked to the stage, morphing as I went along. Then I looked around towards the audience.

"Who am i?" I asked. I heard dozens of sucked in breaths, even a few skipped heartbeats. I smiled wickedly. "I am Vanessa Arra Vur Anne Crepsley." I said as I morphed back into myself. I heard a gasp. I looked over and saw Darren and Steve gaping at me. I then unfroze the man's feet and assisted him to his seat, for his legs were a little numb. I curtsied in front of him. "Thank you for assisting me." I said politely. he frowned. "Like I really had a choice." He muttered. I frowned and ignored him.

Then I stepped back on stage, turned, and curtsied to the audience. Some applauded, and I heard a few hoots and hollers from the guys…that's when I remembered the top and stood. I turned on my heel walked backstage as Mr. Tall told the crowd the show was over, which meant Evra was about to go on. I looked at my mentor and smiled nervously.

"How'd I do?" I asked. He smiled. "I could not have done better myself." He said. I smiled and then sighed. "Steve knows." I muttered. He sighed. "Well then, we might as well stick around until he confronts us." He said. I nodded.

We flitted to the upper area of the theatre and waited through Evra's act and then some. Then, we saw a human walk through, looking around. Mr. Crepsley jumped off the balcony and landed silently on his feet. "Looking for me, Steve Leonard?" he asked. I sighed and flipped off the balcony and landed with a soft thud on the ground behind my mentor. Steve nodded. "I know who you are." He said. Larten smiled. "Of course you do, I introduced myself to the audience, did I not?" he said, looking at me. I frowned. "Don't bring me into this." I muttered. He rolled his eyes. "No, I know who you really are. You're a vampire." He said.

I sighed as they went back and forth. Then, Steve said that he wanted to be one, too. I froze as the argued until finally, Mr. Crepsley sighed. "I will have to test your blood first." He said warily. I bit my tongue. He couldn't really be doing this. I almost rejoiced when he freaked out and spat Steve's blood on the carpet. "You have evil flowing through your blood. I will not turn you into a vampire." He said. Steve got angry. "I'll have my vengeance! I'll become a vampire hunter and kill you and everyone who was most close to you." My heart stopped when he said that. He looked at me. I dropped my head to the ground then he stormed off.

A few hours had passed when I decided to visit Steve. I snuck out of camp and flitted to his house. I noted that his window was open and sighed. He was expecting me. I quickly scaled the side of his house and popped my head into his window. He was asleep on his bed, surrounded by soda and comics. I smiled and swung in, landing lightly on my feet with a sift thud. Apparently he was a light sleeper because h jumped up. I froze. We stared at each other for a while, then he looked at the window and frowned. "Damn, I thought I closed it." I cringed on the inside. He didn't want me.

I walked back to the window and started to climb out when he suddenly yanked me from behind, sending me to the floor as he slammed his window shut. My eyes widened when I saw a knife on his desk…one that could most definitely be shoved into my heart. He glared at me.

"You're a vampire." He stated. I nodded. "Why didn't you try to talk the guy into letting me become one?" he demanded. I sighed. "I won't argue with my mentor and it's not very fun...I think, I wouldn't know." I said quietly. He frowned. "What isn't being a vampire? Because I'm pretty sure you know what that's like." He said sarcastically. I looked at him. "I'm not normal, Steve, even among vampires. I was born a vampire and that's never happened. I don't know what it's like to be blooded; I don't know what it's like for your family to think you're dead when you're really alive and just faking your death." I said. He thought about it and sighed.

"But we could be together even longer, if you'd just persuade him…" he coaxed. I glared at him. "If that's the only reason why you left the window open for me, I'm leaving." I said, getting up and walking towards the window. "No! Don't!" he cried, pulling me away from the window.

I struggled slightly against him, not wanting to hurt him. He knew that and threw me on his bed. I landed on my side and rolled over onto my back. Then he crawled onto the bed and just looked at me. I remembered how low my top was when I saw his eyes darting to face, away, and back again. I was about to say something when he pulled me into a kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, weaving my fingers into his hair. He moaned and pulled me closer, but not close enough.

We parted and were gasping for breath. Then I heard my name from the window. I opened it and popped my head out to see Evra. "Hey! Crepsley said you need to get back!" he shouted. I nodded and turned to Steve. "I have to go, love you." I gave him one last kiss and jumped out of his window, into the setting sun.


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't go to school the next day. I was dead tired and as soon as I finished talking to my mentor about being cautious with Steve, I slipped into clothes I could actually breathe in, jumped into my coffin and fell asleep, my dreams turning into horrific, satisfying nightmares. I woke up, gasping for air. The fact that I was in a coffin didn't help. I kicked it open and took a deep breath in. I noticed it was sunset. I sighed and got changed, and started walking out of camp when I ran into Evra.

"Hey, V. where ya going?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. "Like you don't know." I teased. He laughed and waved me off. I flitted to Steve's house and saw that, once again, his window was open. I climbed in. he wasn't there. I saw a note on his desk and picked it up. It read, _Hey Baby, went to Darren's._ And then it had Darren's address. I walked around the town until I got to Darren's house. I decided to make a proper entrance. I knocked on the door and a small girl who resembled Darren answered. She frowned. "Can I help you?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm a friend of Darren and Steve's." I said. She grinned. "You must be Steve's girlfriend." She giggled. I flushed and nodded. She let me in and told me where Darren's room was before she plopped onto the couch and watched TV.

I heard the sound of a recorder and I followed it, assuming Darren and Steve were messing around. I opened the door and screamed. Madam Octa was on Steve. Then Darren lost his concentration and Madam Octa bit Steve, he passed out. I ran to his side as Darren's sister and parents ran in. by then, Darren had gotten the spider in the cage, the cage in the closet. I started crying. "Steve, it'll be okay, just wake up." I cried out. Darren's mother gasped as her husband ran to call the ambulance.

When the EMS came, they got so annoyed with my protests that they soon gave in and let me stay with Steve. I spoke calmly to him, even though I knew he couldn't hear me. When we got to the hospital, the nurses directed me to the room he'd be in as they wheeled him into the ER. I sat on one of the chairs and called Evra.

"Vanessa! I've been trying to get a hold of you! Madam Octa is missing!" he cried. I teared up. "I know, that's why I called…put Mr. Crepsley on the phone." I said. I heard a fight until my mentor gave in. "What, Vanessa? You know I am not fond of phones or public transportation." He said irritably. I quickly gave him a recap. He clicked his tongue. "Well then, I will stake out at Master Shan's house until he gets rid of Madam Octa." He said. I frowned. "What about Steve?" I asked him. He sniffed. "He will die, I suppose." He said simply. My mouth dropped. "What?" I whispered. He sighed. "Vanessa, he is evil, and Desmond has told us that he will be your downfall, do you not recall this?" he asked impatiently. My voice cracked. "I don't care! I love him and I desperately need him!" I cried into the phone desperately. He sighed again. "That is my final answer." He said before hanging up.

I cried and cried and cried. I had stopped crying when they wheeled an unconscious Steve into the room, causing me to weep all over again. The nurses tried to tell me to leave but I refused. I pulled a chair by his side, took his hand, and eventually fell asleep. But, the strange thing is, when I woke up, he was grasping my hand as well. I smiled, leaned over, and kissed his lips softly as tears gently rolled down my cheeks.

**Sorry for the short chapter, just felt like it should end at this point.**


	6. Chapter 6: Decisions

It was the middle of the night when I heard scraping noises outside. I ignored it and tried to go back to sleep. Then the window was thrown open and two figures jumped into the room. Quick as a flash, I jumped up and whipped out a scalpel that I had stolen from a doctor on the way in. my eyes popped out of my head when I recognized the voice of the bigger figure.

"Vanessa, put down the scalpel before you kill somebody." My mentor snapped. I placed the scalpel on the table as he moved around towards Steve. I looked at the smaller figure. Darren Shan. I gasped. "Mr. Crepsley, you didn't just do what I think you did." I whispered. He sniffed and ignored me as he spoke to Darren and took out a small vial that I have seen many times before—the antidote to Madam Octa's venom. Then, it all clicked.

"Darren, you did this for Steve?" I whispered quietly as Larten swished the liquid around in his mouth. He nodded. I nodded as anger and depression took my heart. _He wouldn't heal Steve for me, but he'd do it for some poor kid who now has to leave everything he's ever known and loved?_ I sighed. Then I heard a fourth heartbeat in the room growing, subtly, louder. I inhaled sharply. Then Steve's eyes fluttered open and a nurse rushed in, freaking out about Darren and Mr. Crepsley.

Mr. Crepsley took the bed sheet and threw it at the nurse, who got tangled up, and dashed to the window. He turned back to Darren, who was looking from him, to the open door of the hospital room, and back. Mr. Crepsley smirked.

"You are thinking of double crossing me Master Shan?" he asked. Darren hesitated and Mr. Crepsley laughed. "You cannot escape from what is part of you; you will come crawling back, eventually. I just hope it shall be before anyone is hurt." He shouted as Darren turned and ran down the hall. Then, he jumped out the window and I rushed to Steve's side. He looked confused and by then, the nurse had run out of the room, getting all the other doctors about Steve getting up.

I smiled shakily. "Hey sleepy head." I said quietly. He looked up at me and smiled weakly. "Vanessa…" he said, trailing off. I didn't ask what he meant because he lost consciousness again and fell asleep. I smiled and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, my love." I murmured. Then I sat down, took his hand, and feel asleep as doctors rushed in, whispering. The last thing I heard was, "It's a miracle."

**Two weeks later…**

Alan, Tony and I had just walked into Mr. Dalton's classroom when we saw Darren sitting in our spots with someone else…Steve. I ran over to my seat next to his, put my stuff down, and gave him a big hug. He laughed and hugged me back. "How can you miss me this much? You just saw me yesterday." He laughed I grinned. "Yeah, but you were stuck in the house, now you can go out." I said happily. He smiled and then frowned. "Vanessa, not that I'm not happy about it, but why are you still here?" he asked. I exchanged a quick glance with Darren and shrugged. "Well, the whole Romanian transfer student was only a small lie." I said with a smile. He grinned and we sat down as the bell rang.

The beginning of class went well, and then Alan mentioned Darren's improved soccer skills. I winced on the inside. He seemed a little worried. Steve raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Really?" he asked. Darren shrugged. "Not really." He said, trying to get the subject done and over with. "Are you kidding me? You're amazing!" Tony said as they started talking about Darren. We looked at each other out of the corner of our eyes. Then the bell rang. I sighed and went to the rest of my classes.

Lunch. This was when Darren realized he was no longer human. He was a vampire.

He had been playing down his soccer skills when, at the end of the game, he decided to score a goal and didn't care if Alan got hurt a little. No biggie, right? Wrong. I didn't see what happened, but I suddenly heard a quick shout of pain and surprise. I whirled around to see Alan on the ground with a gashed knee…and Darren staring at him. The look on his face…it was like he was under a trance…mine was too. I took a step closer to Alan as someone stole the ball from Darren. I took another step. So did Darren. Then, he dropped down next to him and started sucking his blood.

Everyone stared at him. Then he realized what he was doing. He stood up, looked at them all and cracked a vampire joke. All the guys laughed, some girls did too. The bell rang and everyone started heading back to class, then I noticed one figure behind, just as Darren did.

Steve.

He knew.

After school, I quickly left the building and flitted to the old theatre when no one was around I got to the cellar, freaking out. I paused, threw my stuff on the ground and flitted to Darren's house, hoping Steve wasn't there. I was in luck. I scaled the side of the house and jumped into Darren's room through the window just as he walked in. he froze and then slowly shut the door. I frowned.

"Darren, that was really close today, and I'm not sure that your little trick worked on everyone." I said, referring to Steve. He frowned. "I know I just…I don't know what came over me." he said quietly. I came closer to him. "Well I do. It was hunger. It was your instinct." I said.

He frowned. "What instinct?" he asked. I flicked him in the face. He glared. "Darren, you're not a human anymore, you're a vampire so you better start acting like one before you get us killed." I hissed. And with that, I jumped out the window and went to the market to get ingredients for Mr. Crepsley's favorite food.

When I got back to the usually cold, dark, damp cellar, I noticed something. It wasn't dark. There were candles lit. I frowned. It probably meant that Larten had known Darren would come all along. I sighed and went to the corner where all the mini pots and pans that Lady Evanna had given Mr. Crepsley were.

I immediately started a fire and listened carefully. Then I heard it. I concentrated on the sound of dripping water and pulled it towards me. When enough was in the room to fill the pot, I swished it through the rock walls to clean it, having learned earlier that the walls were limestone. Then, I put it in a pot and started throwing stuff together to make stew.

I sighed. "I don't think I'll be able to go back tomorrow." I said sadly. I heard a sigh behind me and a soft creak in the wall as Mr. Crepsley straightened up and walked out from behind me. "Why not?" he asked me, scratching his long scar. I frowned and looked into the stew. Then I groaned. "Did it have to be Darren? He's so…so…not right." I said finally. He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Not right? How is he not right? I admit he is a little young, but I see the true makings of a vampire in him, do you not?" he said. I frowned.

"Seriously, he might have those traits and of course he's too young, that's most of my point. He can't control his thirst, he sucked from one of his friends today and no doubt will he accidently kill one his family. He's not ready; he isn't strong enough for this." I said quietly, suddenly concerned for the little idiot who, as I then knew, was my best friend.

Mr. Crepsley sighed and put an arm around my shoulder. "Vanessa, do not forget you are the same age as him, and you are full blooded as he is only half—" he began, but I cut him off.

"It's not the same! I was born this way, Darren wasn't. I know what you're going to say, if I'm strong enough to be one at my age, then why isn't he? Because I was born strong, a vampire. It's flowed through my veins since the moment I saw the world, but Darren…he wasn't." I shouted, ending quietly. He was silent.

"Vanessa, I know you are just upset for your friend, but he will move on, as is the way of vampires. I also know that you are lonely and that after he heard that his friend would leave everything behind to become a vampire, his life would be different." He said.

Silence.

The stew was done. I took out a couple bowls and filled them, handing one to Mr. Crepsley. We ate in silence. When we had finished, I had this gut feeling that we wouldn't be here much longer.


	7. Chapter 7: Good bye

I didn't go to school the rest of the week. I, painfully, ignored each call and each text from Steve…until Friday. He sent me a text saying that he missed me and that he loved me and felt betrayed that I left without saying goodbye.

"Don't do it." a voice said from behind me. I jumped up, pulling a dagger out of the sheath in my boot to see a depressed looking Darren. I put it back and sighed. "Here's here." I muttered. Mr. Crepsley was suddenly in the room. It freaked Darren out a little. I frowned. "Why not?" I asked, holding up my phone. He sighed.

"He's trying to track your phone signal to see if you really left." he said, looking at Mr. Crepsley. I knew why he was here and sighed, morphing into some girl I fed off of in Ireland. "I'm gonna go get some cheetos, want anything?" I asked, shrugging on my jacket. "Wine, please." Mr. Crepsley said. I groaned and looked into my wallet for a license that said I was above 21. When I found one, I morphed into the girl and left.

I had just gotten to the wine section when a voice said, "Hey, can you buy me a bottle? My idiot mom thinks I'm old enough to buy her one." I turned and my heart stopped. It was Steve. I shrugged. "Sure." I said. He grinned and picked up one. I looked around a little longer and smiled when I saw one that Mr. Crepsley would get a kick out of. _Vampire wine._ I grabbed it and went to the counter, Steve trailing behind me. He put the bottle on the counter and stared at the bottle that I put on the counter. He looked at me.

"You like vampires?" he asked. I laughed. "I guess, but I got this cause it's my dad's favorite." I lied. He laughed and picked up the grocery bags as I paid for them using cash, naturally. The woman smiled. "Can I see your ID?" she asked. I smiled and pulled it out. She frowned. I looked at it and flushed. "Oops, sorry, that's my brother's." I lied. I quickly pulled out the right one and showed her. She smiled and I walked off to the side where Steve was waiting. He held out my bag. I smiled and reached for the other one. He looked astounded.

"How'd you know I switched 'em?" he asked me curiously. I shrugged. "I know my wines. I said. Then I walked away, vampire wine and cheetos in my hand.

I was careful to make sure Steve wasn't following me and I quickly ran into the old theatre's cellar where Mr. Crepsley was waiting. I tossed him the wine. He caught it and rolled his eyes when he saw the name. I sighed and sat down on the floor.

"I saw Steve." I muttered. He paused and then shrugged. "Do not worry, we will soon be leaving. As a matter of fact, we should be leaving next Sunday." He mused. I winced. I knew we had to leave and I was eager to get back on the road but…I was gonna miss Steve. I sighed and munched on my cheetos, deep in thought.

**Four days later…**

I woke up to the feeling of an earthquake. I groaned. "Five more minutes!" I complained. I heard a sigh. Mr. Crepsley opened my coffin and pulled me out. "We must hurry, Vanessa. Darren's death must happen tonight." He said impatiently. I frowned and got out he handed me my cape and flitted to the entrance of the theatre. I sighed and followed. It was chilly out and there was a full moon. I started howling until Mr. Crepsley smacked the back of my head, sending my face first onto the weeds. I got up and spit mud out of my mouth and wiped it off my face. I glared at him. "I was only having a little fun." I muttered, flipping on my hood just as he did. He shook his head and off we went to Darren's house.

We scaled the side of his house and jumped in through the window, then I quickly rolled under the bed and Mr. Crepsley hid in the closet. I could hear Darren with his family down stairs. I could hear his uneven heartbeat. I heard his goodbyes. I sighed. A few minutes later, he came into the room and sat on the bed. I groaned and pulled myself out from under it as Mr. Crepsley came out of the closet. Then I got stuck. "Chizz." I muttered, trying to get out. I glowered. "My butt's stuck. Daren, get off the bed." I growled. He complied and I pulled myself out and stood up. He tossed me a bag. I raised an eyebrow.

"Personal stuff…please don't look." He said. I nodded. I watched as Larten 'killed' him. Then we quickly jumped out and ran.

**Sunday night…**

I quickly ripped our rag-tag coffins apart and burned them as Crepsley threw all of his things in his bag, and my stuff in mine. When I finished, he tossed me my bag and we ran to the cemetery. I flitted first to where they kept the shovels and took one to Mr. Crepsley so he could dig it up.

"Need any help?" I offered. He shook his head. I shrugged and walked around the nearby graves, reading the names, imagining what their lives were like. Then I heard Darren and Mr. Crepsley talking. I walked towards the grave and helped Darren out of the whole. I nodded my head towards a nearby gravestone. "I put your bag over there." I said.

He nodded and asked Mr. Crepsley if he needed help. Mr. Crepsley sighed. "No, you would only slow me down, walk around or something." He muttered. Darren nodded and we walked around. I was telling Darren about some myths when I suddenly felt an emptiness to my left…where Darren had been. I looked behind me and was rooted to the spot.

Darren was pinned to the ground by Steve…who was pointing a stake at his heart. He didn't seem to pay any attention to me until Mr. Crepsley called out for me and Darren. Steve froze in terror. "its okay, we're over here. Darren got a little tired and sat down." I called. He nodded and walked along the graves as I had.

I looked over and saw Darren staring at Steve as he cut a cross into his hand. He got up and started to walk away, pausing when he was in front of me. He looked down at me and stared into my eyes. Then he held my hand and pulled me along behind him. I looked back at Darren and smiled, letting him know I'd be okay.

We walked in silence through the trees until we came to a small clearing. He let go of my hand and went to sit on the stump that sat in the middle. He stared at me, long and hard. He reached behind the stumped and pulled out a bottle and looked at it. "It was you, wasn't it?" he said quietly. "Yes." I replied. He looked at me. "I want answers." He said boldly. I smiled sadly and walked towards him. "Okay, just let me help your hand." I said quietly, sitting at his feet. He hesitated and I could tell he was thinking about whether or not to kick me. Then he gave me his hand and I licked it, letting my vampire saliva heal the cut. It left a shiny pink scar. I looked at him. "What do you want to know?" I asked.

"How do you shape shift?"? He asked. I shrugged. "Same way Truska grows a beard, I just do. Even if I weren't a vampire, I'd still be able to morph." I said. He nodded. "How old are you?" he asked me. I smiled. "15." I said. He frowned. "Vampires only age one tenth the aging rate of humans." He stated. I nodded. "I know, but I'm different. Mr. Crepsley says I should stop aging this year…most likely." I said. He nodded, taking it in, then he paused. "Wait, you're a full vampire?" he asked. I nodded. He frowned. "Then how can you walk around in the day?" he asked. I shrugged. "I asked Mr. Tall about it, he believes it has something to do with the fact that I was born at sunrise." I said. He nodded.

Silence.

I sighed and slowly slid off the ring he gave me and held it out to him. He looked confused, then sad. "Are you breaking up with me?" he asked quietly. I sniffed, trying to hold back tears. "It's not fair for me to hold on to you when I have to leave…to never let you move on." I said quietly. He closed my hand around the ring. "I don't want to move on." He said quietly, easing off the stump. I hesitated. Then nodded and slid it back on, smiling to myself. I looked up at him and noticed how close we were. We were both breathing hard.

His eyes were pleading. I was rooted. He pulled off my cape and pulled me onto his lap and kissed me.

I didn't hold back. I kissed him back, letting his tongue explore every inch of my mouth. I felt my teeth sharpening into to fangs. Steve pulled back, confused. "I thought vampires didn't actually have fangs." He said, breathless. I smiled. "Well then, I guess it's just one of my perks." I giggled he rolled his eyes and our kissing continued. I ran my tongue across his upper lip. He moaned and pulled me closer.

Then he started kissing along my neck…

I awoke early morning, having felt vibrations. I looked at the still sleeping Steve and flushed. Then I spotted something shiny and picked it up. I looked at it. 4 am. I saw I had a missed text. It was from Darren. It was a location. I sighed and quickly made myself presentable to everyone else besides Steve. I hesitated. I woke up Steve. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"You're still here." He murmured. Then he noticed my clothing. He sighed. "Not for long." He muttered, getting up. He pulled on his boxers and his pants and looked at me. I looked at him. "I have to leave." I said quietly. He looked kind of angry. "Yeah, I know." He said sourly. I picked up my cloak and gave it to him. "I want you to have this." I said. He nodded. I turned and started walking away slowly. He grabbed my arm and yanked me toward s him, giving me a huge hug. Then, he did something unexpected. He cried. I cried too. Then I kissed him. "Steve, I love you now, and I will for the rest of my life." I whispered. He nodded. "I know, I love you too." He said.

I smiled sadly, pulled away from him, and flitted off into the distance.


	8. Chapter 8

**Darren P.O.V. **

I watched helplessly as Steve dragged Vanessa away. When I could see them or hear their footsteps, I sighed and stood up, stretching out my sore limbs. I walked over to the gravestone where Vanessa had laid my stuff next to and picked it up. The monster was suddenly a foot or two in front of me then. I frowned and stood up on top of the gravestone, getting one last look at my home.

"It will get easier in time, Darren. Give it a few decades at most." He said softly. I sighed. "Is it easier for you know." I asked. "Yes, for the most part." He said. I nodded. "Is it easy for Vanessa?" I asked again.

No answer.

I turned around and looked at him. He had a kind of depressed look on his face. "I do not know. I believe she is used to it but she does not like it. It will be especially be hard for her now that she has fallen for a human." He said.

He looked up. "Do not worry about her, she knows what she is doing." He said, jerking his head in the direction of the trees that Vann had vanished through. I frowned. "How'd you know?" I asked. He sighed. "I may be old but I am far from deaf, Darren." He said. "Oh, right." I said stupidly.

He rolled his eyes. "Jump onto my back, sunrise approaches and we must find somewhere to stay." He said. I nodded and jumped on his back. He started running faster and faster until it seemed as though the world was just spinning faster under his feet…

**Vanessa P.O.V.**

I arrived to the location that Darren had sent me around sunset; I hadn't had blood in awhile so I didn't have the energy to flit. It was an old barn. I smiled. My mentor and I would drop by this place often. I walked closer, cracked the door open and peaked inside. Darren was curled up in a corner asleep. I smiled weakly. He looked so innocent.

"Good morning, Vanessa." A soft voice said. I walked into the barn and sat on a pile of hay. "Morning, Larten." I yawned. He came and sat at my feet. "You need blood." He stated. I nodded. "Only there's not a human in sight and I don't want to drink from an animal, it doesn't taste quite right." I said, starting to fall asleep. He patted my leg, trying to keep me from falling asleep. I groaned.

"Stop being annoying! It's too early." I muttered, trying to bury myself in the hay. He rolled his eyes and pulled me up. I glared. He rolled up his sleeve and put his bare am in front of me. My mouth began to water as I stared at the veins. I shook my head slowly. "It wouldn't be right for me to drink from my mentor." I muttered. He sighed. "Vanessa, you are getting pale and weak: you need blood. Now drink up." he said, making a small cut on his arm.

At the first sight of blood, my body took over my mind. I yanked his arm to my mouth and drank the juicy red liquid. I froze when I heard a gasp. Our heads snapped to the direction of the gasp to see a gaping Darren. Mr. Crepsley took his arm away from me and rubbed his spit on it. I wiped my mouth, never taking my eyes of Darren's.

"What the heck are you doing?" he finally shouted. I didn't know what to say. "She was drinking, something you will be doing soon." My mentor said. Darren's eyes practically popped out of his head. "I have to drink from a vampire?" he cried, confused and worried. I laughed then. "No way! You can't handle it." I said, still laughing. He frowned. "Why not? You can." He stated. I smirked. "Because I'm different. I thought you would've known by now you little dork." I giggled. He rolled his eyes.

I yawned. "Where's my iPod?" I asked after not finding it in my bag. Darren flushed sheepishly and tossed me a shiny object. My Pod. I frowned. He shrugged. I sighed and stretched. "Come on, Darren. Time for some training." I said, walking outside. He followed. I took the headphones out of my iPod and played a pumping song, the kind that gets you all riled up. Darren frowned.

"What the heck is that?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. "Papa Roach." I said, pulling out a switchblade. Darren looked worried. Then I lunged. He ducked out of the way, which was okay because I was aiming for the figure behind him. Mr. Crepsley flipped backwards, pulling out a blade of his own. "Was it necessary to scare him?" he asked, making a lunge.

I smirked, flipped to the side, flinging ninja stars at him. I landed in a feline position and smiled. "Was just having a little fun." I said as he pulled a star off his cloak. Then my iPod died. I froze. _Crap…_ Mr. Crepsley grinned and lurched forward; I rolled to the side and jumped into a tree. He laughed. "Vanessa, I have warned you about depending on music to fight." He said. I frowned.

"I know, I just can't do it." I muttered, jumping out of the tree as he put his blade back into his coat. He sighed and went off to talk to Darren and teach him. Darren frowned. "Why doesn't she have to come?" he complained. Mr. Crepsley flicked him. "Because Vanessa already knows her history." He said. Darren groaned and went along with it.

I smiled sadly. _Poor kid, if only he knew what his history will be…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Three years later…**

We came back to the Cirque about two years ago, the first year didn't go well. Darren had been refusing to drink human blood. Admirable? Yes. Stupid? Hell yeah. I felt bad for him though. He had made a friend, a small boy named Sam Grest. We were camped out around some people called Eco Warriors and one of them decided to be the hero and try to release a truly savage animal. The Wolf Man. I knew it'd happen. I stood by the cage that night and told him not to do it. I gave him fair warning, telling him everything that would happen that night because of him.

He didn't believe me.

He let him out.

I was right.

The Wolf Man bit his arms off at the elbow and ran…and attacked poor Sam Grest. He didn't live. Darren barely did. Mr. Crepsley came in time to save Darren, but only Darren. Darren wept over Sam. Mr. Crepsley had told Darren what he must do. Darren bled Sam dry, keeping a part of him alive within him. He gave Sam's body to his parents. Things have changed since. Darren and I had grown closer.

Then Gavner Purl came. He spoke to Mr. Crepsley. A dangerous creature was lurking in his hometown, bleeding people dry. That was earlier today.

I was messing around with Darren and Evra in their tent before bed when a sullen Larten came in. I looked at him. I was instantly worried. "When are we leaving?" I asked, standing up. "Now." He said quietly. I nodded. He looked at Darren. "I've spoken to Mr. Tall, you may bring Evra." He said. He looked at me and jerked his head, summoning me to follow. I nodded and got up.

I followed him out of the tent and into our trailer. Using my mirror water, I formed a bubble and sat on it. "What's up?" I asked him. He looked at me. "A crazy Vampaneze is bleeding people dry in my hometown." He said, packing his things. My eyes widened. Vampaneze. They were eyed, red nailed, purple skinned creatures, cousins to the Vampires. The difference? They sucked every last ounce of blood from their victims. They mark them with three small scratches on their cheek and tracked them. They don't feed in a person's home though.

I ground my teeth and threw everything in a bag. He sighed. "Vanessa, maybe you should not go…" he said, trailing off. I turned and glared. "Why not?" I demanded. He frowned and scratched his scar. "It would be unwise if the Vampire Princess were to be involved with the killing of a Vampaneze." He said. I glared. "I am above jurisdiction. I can do it if I want to." I said. He smiled weakly. "Ok, my child." He said, turning back to his bag. I smiled and packed my bag.

I flitted to Darren and Evra's tent and told them to follow. We walked to the entrance of camp where Mr. Crepsley was waiting. He sighed. "We will flit to the train station and ride from there." I laughed. "But you hate public transportation." I said. He nodded. "I do, but I will not make you carry Evra on your back the whole trip." He pointed out. I smiled. "Thanks." I said. I looked at Evra. "Climb up." I said, tossing him my bag. He nodded and jumped on me. I looked at my mentor. "Ready?" he asked me. I nodded and we flitted to the station. We stopped a little ways off to let Darren and Evra off our backs and walked the rest of the way. We got there just as our train pulled in. We sat in a six seater compartment so two strangers got to sit with us. They were two guys. Since Evra, Darren, and Larten were sitting on one side, they sat next to me. The one directly next to me smiled.

"Hi." He said. I looked at him and smiled. "Hi." I said. He stretched. "So, you guys on vacation or anything?" he asked me. I nodded. "We're visiting family." Evra said. The guy smiled. "That's cool." He said. I nodded and started to look out the window. "What about you guys?" Darren asked. The second guy laughed. "We'd tell you, but you'd think us insane." He said. Darren, Evra and I looked at each other and cracked up laughing. Mr. Crepsley chuckled to himself. "I can assure you we would not think so." He said. The first guy smiled. "Well, we're vampire hunters." He said.

Silence. The second guy sighed. "See? Told you." He said. I shook my head. "We don't think that's insane. We're hunters too." I said. Mr. Crepsley raised an eyebrow. "Not vampires though." I added. They nodded. "What do you guys hunt?" they asked. "Treasure." Darren said. They guys laughed a little. "Like the guys in that movie?" he asked. "The one with Nicolas Cage?" Darren said. They nodded. he grinned. "Dead on." He said. They grinned.

The first one stared at me long and hard, and then I realized there was something familiar about him. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?" he asked me. I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't know…what's your name?" I asked. He extended a hand. "Louis." He said. I shook his hand. "Vanessa." I said. Then he turned my hand over and looked at my finger tips.

Dead silence.

He looked at me for a long time, turned, and didn't say anything for a long while. He finally spoke though towards the end. "Are all you guys vampires?" he asked quietly. he friend's eyes widened as he realized the potential danger. I shook my head. "No." I answered. "Who are?" he asked. I pointed at my mentor and Darren. "Darren's only a half vampire though." He nodded then looked at me. "I won't kill you." He said. I smiled weakly. "Thanks." I said, knowing he probably couldn't if he tried. "Why not?" Darren asked. Lois stared at me. "Because you tried to save my brother." He said. I gasped.

"You're Sam's brother?" Darren exclaimed. He nodded. "Sam had called me and told me about that freak show and about a few kids." He looked at Evra. "One was an extraordinary snake boy." He looked at me. "One was beautiful and fluid and goddess like, no way she was human." I flushed and he looked at Darren. "The other was a strong, superhuman boy who had become his best friend." He said.

Silence.

The train stooped then. Louis and his friend stood and left in silence. I looked at Mr. Crepsley. He sighed. "Come, we must get on our next train." He said. I nodded and we all got up, grabbed our things, and left.


	10. Chapter 10: When we first met

I couldn't get Louis off my mind. It brought back memories…memories I didn't want to remember. I stared at my mentor as the moment we met played in my head.

I was born in Vampire Mountain, but was forced into hiding by my mother. She had told me that if I didn't hide, they'd find me and they might kill me for what I was. In all honesty, we weren't sure ourselves. I was kept hidden for five years.

I was discovered when I had snuck into the dining hall for some soup because I was hungry and mother hadn't come back yet. I didn't know who the man that found me was at the time, but I came to know him as Gavner Purl. I was brought before the princes later that night.

Gavner had pulled me by the arm to the steps in front of the thrones of the Vampire Princes. Inside, I was panicking, but on the outside, I was cool and collected. The room quickly filled. My mother and my cousin were sitting in the front row. For their sakes, I showed no fear. Then, the questioning began.

"Hello, young one. You're a very pretty girl, are you lost?" one of them asked. I looked at him for long time. This was Paris, no doubt. I remained silent. He asked me again, a little irritated. I still didn't answer. Then one of them got angry and pounced on me. He squeezed my neck. "You insolent little child! You will answer us!" he snarled. I glared at him as my face turned blue from lack of air. This was Mika, the hot tempered one. I smirked at him and made a face. He yelled and threw me across the room, letting my crash against the wall.

Silence.

I heard Paris's voice. "Mika! That was unnecessary!" he chided. Mika didn't like that. "She's a brat! I don't care how old or fragile she is, she will learn respect!" he growled. Paris sighed. "She can't do that if she is dead, now can she?" he said. Silence. My eyes snapped open and I started laughing. They stared at me incredulously. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not dead then, isn't it?" I asked.

I glared at Mika. "Next time you touch me, you will regret it." I growled. He was too shocked to say anything. I noticed that Paris had a glass of water next to him and smiled. I looked at him. "Prince Paris, would you mind if I used your water?" I asked him. He nodded just as Mika said, "Of course she's polite now, bratty little slut." I ignored him. I froze the water into chair in front of Paris's throne and sat.

Silence.

Paris began. "So, what is your name?" he asked kindly. I smiled, but said nothing. Mika's eye twitched. I stared at Paris. "I will answer no other questions until I receive a bowl of bat broth." I said. everyone laughed at me. Paris chuckled. "Okay, little one. Will someone please get this charming little lady a bowl of broth?" my cousin nodded and ran off to get some.

He was back in less than ten minutes. As soon as I touched the bowl, the questions began again. "So, what is your name?" I sipped the broth and smiled. "Vanessa." I replied. He smiled and nodded. "And how old are you, Vanessa?" he asked. I yawned. "I'm five, sir." I answered. He looked surprised. "Five?" he repeated. I nodded. He smiled wearily.

"Are you lost, Vanessa? Did you run away?" he asked. I snorted. "Lost? Run away? Heck no. I live here, and for a five year old whose hiding from you people, running away is pretty hard." I replied, eating more bat broth. His eyes widened. "You live here?" he asked. I nodded. He stared for a long time.

"And you are a bender, I presume?" he asked. I shrugged. "I don't know, I was thinking more of a witch, but I think that fits." I replied. He sighed. "We've had a young witch hiding in the mountain, all this time?" he murmured. I frowned. "I thought you said I was a bender." I stated. He looked at the wall and then back at me. "Yes, but a bender is human and a human wouldn't be able to survive that, but a witch could." He said. I smiled wickedly. "Whoever said I was human?"

I heard a few gasps behind me. Paris was confused. "Surely you can't be…" he trailed off. "A vampire?" I completed for him. He nodded. I smiled. "Well, I am. My name is Vanessa, a full blooded vampire from birth." I said. I heard many gasps behind me. Mika jumped to his feet.

"She's an abomination! Paris, she must be destroyed." He hissed. I glared. "Mika, she is five years old, she is probably just playing pretend." He said. I stood, walked over to Paris, and held my arm out to him. "Test my blood if you don't believe me." I said. He hesitated and then nodded. He made a small scratch in my arm and sucked a little of my blood out. He swished it in his mouth and then spit it out. I licked my arm and let him watch it heal. I sat back down.

He stood up and looked at all the vampires behind me. "This girl…Vanessa…she is one of us." He said solemnly. People started gasping and shouting. Mika yanked my arm, pulling me up. Using my other hand, I punched him so hard in the face that he flew a couple feet away from me. He was shocked. "I said, don't touch me." I snarled. That caused more shouting. H looked at Paris.

"She is too young and does not know our ways. Paris, she is an abomination and must be destroyed." He shouted. Everyone went silent then. Paris sighed. "All in favor?" most of the vampires raised their hands. I shut my eyes and let the tears slide down my cheeks in silence. I heard shuffling and then a voice. "Paris, what if someone was willing to teach her the ways of the vampires and take her on as an assistant?" my eyes snapped open.

I saw a tall, pale man with red hair and a long scar that went from the corner of his mouth and along his jaw line. He wore a white shirt, black pants, and a blood red cape. He looked brave and heroic. He also looked sort of familiar; I just couldn't place it…at the time. Paris jumped at the chance.

"Hm…possibly. I presume you're speaking of yourself, Larten?" he asked. Larten nodded. Paris looked at Mika, who was glaring. "Do whatever you want, Paris." He sighed. Paris smiled and turned back to the vampires. "All in favor?" he asked again. Everyone's hands went up…except Mika's. Paris smiled.

"She's all yours Larten." Larten nodded and turned to me. "Come." he ordered. I frowned, but complied. I soon got tired and held onto his cape so I wouldn't get lost. He looked at me for a while then picked me up. I yawned and fell asleep in his arms.

"Vanessa! Get up! We're here!" I blinked a few times and looked up. Darren was looking at me. "We're at the train station, come on." I noticed that my stuff was gone. "Crepsley took it." he said. I nodded and yawned. He smiled and gave me his bag. I was confused but pulled it on. He turned around. "Hop on." He ordered. I nodded and jumped on his back.

Darren put me down once we had met up with Darren and Evra. I yawned and fell on my butt. Larten sighed. "Vanessa, get up. We must find a hotel before morning." He said. I nodded and held out a hand. Evra pulled me up and winked. I rolled my eyes.

Mr. Crepsley gave me my bag. I yawned. "Man, I'm so tired." I murmured. He smiled. "I do not see how, you were asleep the whole ride up here." He replied. I looked at him. "Really?" I asked. He nodded. I yawned. We had reached a crossing zone that was across the hotel and it said we couldn't go yet. I leaned against Mr. Crepsley and sighed. He looked at me. "Vanessa is something upsetting you?" he asked quietly. I shrugged.

"I had that dream again…the one about when we first met." I murmured. He took my hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "It is okay, Vanessa. You are fine now, they will not hurt you." He murmured. I nodded. "Who won't?" Darren and Evra asked at the same time.

I was about to tell them off for eavesdropping but then the crossing pole turned green telling us to go so we all hurriedly crossed the street. I looked at Darren and Evra as Larten checked in. "Guys, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't eavesdrop on my conversations with Mr. Crepsley." I said. They just shrugged. I sighed. "Come along, you three." Crepsley said. I nodded and we all followed.

When we got to the room, Crepsley and I claimed the large bedroom for ourselves. Darren decided to crack some jokes about it. Not the right decision. The temperature rose and I punched him so hard he slammed into the wall. I heard shouts in the room next and someone jumping for a phone I froze. Of course, Darren and Evra didn't hear the phone part.

I couldn't move. Then there was a knock on our door. "Is everything alright in there?" a voice asked. I did the first thing that came to my mind. I undid my pants zipper, made my hair look wild, and unbuttoned my shirt some, and then I did the same with Darren. I answered the door.

"Can I help you?" I asked in a breathless tone. The guy looked about 18. His cheeks turned pink as he looked me up and down. He looked at his feet. "Um, we got a call from the next room over about a loud bang." He said. Darren had picked up the plan and came behind me. "Oh, sorry about that, we were just hitting it off." He said bluntly. The guy's face turned red. "Oh, sorry for the disturbance." He said, then he quickly walked away.

I closed the door and laughed. Darren laughed too. Daren grinned. "We should do this more often, if you catch my drift." He said. I snorted. "Not even in your dreams, Darren." I said. I yawned then and walked into the bedroom and yanked off my clothes and slipped into my pajamas while Larten was in the shower. As I climbed onto the bed, Crepsley came out of the shower in a pair of jet black pajama pants, drying his hair with a towel.

I smiled. "It's almost morning, Larten." I said sleepily, digging my head into my pillow. He laughed and got into bed. "That it is." I yawned. "Night." I said quietly. He yawned. "Goodnight Vanessa." He said. Then I drifted to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

I awoke to an earth quake. I whipped my arm out, grabbed someone's ankle and pulled, causing them to topple over with a yelp of surprise. "What?" I growled in to my pillow. I heard a growl…of a stomach. I looked up and saw Darren and Evra staring at me. I looked to the other side of the bed. "Mr. C's out and about." Evra informed me. I sat up and stretched. "So I see. Now, what the hell do you want? I'm freaking tired and want to sleep." I complained. Evra laughed and pulled me out of bed. "Mr. C said to wake you up when the buffet downstairs opens." He said. I frowned and sighed.

"Okay, just get out and let me get dressed." I said. They nodded and walked out, closing the door behind them. I sighed and walked over to my bag, throwing on my sweats. I walked out of my room and looked at the boys. "Okay, take me to the buffet." I yawned. They laughed and we all walked out the door.

It was pretty late and there wasn't much left at the buffet, but I didn't mind, I wasn't very hungry. I soon became bored and left, having hardly touched my plate. "Vann, where ya going?" Darren called after me. I threw a wave over my shoulder and went back to the hotel room, looking for decent clothes. I pulled on some jeans and a button up shirt and was putting on my jacket when I heard a knock on my door.

"Room service!" a male voice called out. I frowned. _Room service? Who got room service? _The voice wasn't quite right either. There was a lack of…sanity to it. I grabbed a knife off my nightstand and slowly walked to the door. I opened it and froze. _Crap…_ I raised my knife against the fiend but he was more experienced than I. he grabbed and twisted my wrist. I yelped and dropped the knife. I tried to punch him with my free hand but he caught it. Then he laughed and released the foulest breath I've ever smelled. The last thing I remembered was a crazy voice singing out, "I've got his pretty! I've got Creepy Crepsley's pretty!"

Darren and Evra were walking down the hall to their hotel room when they saw a purple man with red hair wearing a suit sling a girl from the doorstep of their hotel room over his shoulder as he hummed a familiar tune. Evra gasped. "Hey! Let her go!" Darren cried, running towards his best friend in an attempt to save her. The purple man looked at Darren and cackled. "Looks like Murlough and his new pretty needs to go!"

Then he ran and jumped out an open window at the end of the hall. "Vanessa!" the boys cried out. Darren and Evra ran to the window but, it was too late, their friend was gone. They sighed miserably and went into their hotel room, trying to find a way to break the news to the older vampire.

A few hours later, dawn approached and a tired looking vampire trudged into the room. He looked up at Darren and Evra and frowned, not seeing his first apprentice. "Where is Vanessa? Has she gone out for a walk?" he asked. Then he froze and sniffed the air. He went over to the door and sniffed it also. He turned back to Darren and Evra, fear and hatred burning like fire in his eyes.

"Darren, Evra, where is Vanessa?" Darren looked at Evra who was scared out of his wits. Darren sighed. "Vanessa had gone back to the room before us and when we came back, we saw a purple man at the door, slinging Vanessa over his shoulder. We tried to stop him but he jumped out the window…" Darren hesitated and looked at his mentor. "He called himself Murlough, do you know him?" Mr. Crepsley collapsed in a chair, and let his head fall into his hands. "I knew I should not have brought her here. She should have stayed at the Cirque where she would be safest." He groaned. Darren and Evra shared a glance of worry. In all the years the boys had known the vampire, they had never seen him so…grief stricken.

Evra placed a hand on the vampire's knee. Mr. Crepsley looked up at him. "It wasn't your fault, Mr. C, she'll be fine, she's a tough kid." He said in a soothing tone. Mr. Crepsley nodded. "Yes, she is quite a tough one, is she not?" he said, hopefully. Then he sighed and stood. "I am retiring to my room, good day boys." He said.

My eyes snapped open and my body jerked up. I was gasping, trying to calm down. Then something touched my face I tried to scream, but a hand was pressed against my mouth. My eyes soon focused and I saw a purple skinned man with red hair and dark, blood red eyes looking down at me. He seemed to be wearing a dress suit and the way he looked at me…well, it seemed he was off my rocker.

He took his hand off my mouth and waved an arm around the room I was in. I looked around and realized that I wasn't in a room…I was in an abandoned sewer pipe. Suddenly there was light I looked to the source and saw the man lighting candles, humming madly to himself. I froze when I saw a girl on the ground…a dead girl.

I looked at him and tried to get off the coffin, but I felt something tighten against my ankles, something cold and hard. I looked down and saw that I was chained to it. I glared at the man. He smiled and started cackling. "Oh, silly pretty! Did my new pretty really think that Murlough was so stupid? Of course not! Murlough has to keep his new pretty! He has to keep her from Creepy Crepsley!" he said. I froze.

Murlough.

I've heard of this man. He's an insane Vampaneze, he has had his brilliant moments, but he's certifiably insane. He started to circle me. I mashed my teeth together. "What do you want with me?" I demanded. He laughed and pulled on my hair. "I want a playmate! Murlough needs someone pretty to be with him! Murlough just has to make his pretty a Vampaneze and then Murlough and his pretty can play together!" he giggled. _Ewe…_

I snorted. "Good luck with that." He frowned and yanked my hair—my head along with it—back. He had a quizzical look in his eyes. "What did you say?" he asked me, insanity dripping in his voice. I glared. "I said good luck with that. Do you really think you can blood me? You'd kill yourself." I growled. He yanked my hair, slamming my head back onto the coffin. I gritted my teeth. _Don't show fear._

He sat on top of me. I wheezed as his weight squished the air out of me. He giggled. "Why would my pretty say that?" he giggled. I wriggled under him, trying to get him off and I replied, "I mean I'm already a full blooded Vampire you dip stick." He frowned at me, and then grinned maliciously. "Ooh! My pretty must be this Vampire Princess that Murlough has heard about!" he cackled. Then he pulled me off the coffin, snapping the chains and opened it. He pushed me in. "Morning! Time for bed!" he sang, crawling in with me. Then he slammed it shut and my own personal hell began.


	12. Chapter 12

In a matter of days, I became an empty shell and Murlough got bored of me. One night, when I awoke, I was hanging upside down, my hands and feet bound. I heard shuffling in the pipes and felt a twinge of fear. Then I saw Murlough…dragging a familiar, unconscious snake boy. I gasped. "Evra!" I screamed. Murlough kicked me when he came by and I let out a yelp of pain.

He cackled. "Silly pretty! Look! Murlough brought you a Snakey! Snakey will be gone soon though…mmm! What a tasty dinner we'll have!" he cackled. I growled. "Don't you dare!" I said. He frowned. By then, he had hung Evra upside down as well. Then he came over, grabbed my face, and slammed the back of my head against a wall behind me. I groaned as everything went fuzzy…

"Darren no! Don't do it!" a familiar voice cried. I opened my eyes and saw Darren talking to Murlough, a look of pain on his face. "Darren?" I moaned and realized I was upside down anymore, but was tied to a smaller pipe that came up from the ground and to the side of the wall. He looked at me, a hint of relief on his face. Evra looked at me. "Vanessa, he's giving Murlough a human girl, Debbie!" I froze and my soul was thrown out of my body and into the past. I saw Darren walking around, depressed. Then a pretty little girl came and talked to him…that must be Debbie.

My soul slammed back into my body and I had a coughing fit. Darren and Evra looked concerned, unlike Murlough who was cackling. "Yay! Take me to this human little Shan, or you will never see your friends again!" he sang out. I then saw that Darren's hands were bound with a rope…a rope Murlough was holding. I cringed when Murlough kicked Darren, ordering him to move.

When I could hear them no longer, I groaned. Evra looked at me. "Vanessa, are you okay? We've been worried sick! What did he do to you?" he demanded. I sighed. "I'll be okay Evra and…it's to horrible to even think of." I looked at him. His eyes widened. "He didn't…" he started. I nodded as tears fell down my face. He started fuming, but he didn't say anything.

A little while later, we heard footsteps…footsteps I recognized and had grown up with for 10 years. "Mr. Crepsley!" I cried out as I saw him and Darren some around a corner. I started crying then and he was immediately by my side. He snapped the chains binding me and I threw myself onto him, tears running down my face. He took his coat and carefully wrapped me in it as Darren carefully cut Evra down.

"I am so sorry, Vanessa. I should have never brought you here. Please forgive me." He said quietly, rocking me back and forth as though I were a child again. I sniffed. "It's okay; it wasn't your fault… I just want to go back to the Cirque." I said, the tears running dry. He nodded. "It is okay now, Vanessa. We will go home." He then turned to Darren and jerked his head, giving the order to leave. Darren nodded and he and Evra led the way out of the tunnel.

**Wow! That was pretty short :o well, I kind of felt it should be so…yeah! R&R! Tell me what you thought! And, I was thinking, every once in awhile I get questions and comments on my story and how people don't see how it relates to the series so in your reviews, leave whatever questions and as long it's not mean and sarcastic (flames, agh!) I'll dedicate my next "chapter" as FAQ Q's and As' kind of thing :3 so, yeah, I'll try to post that on…December 30th I guess. Thanks for reading you guys!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Wow you guys, no questions? Haha, oh well! Looks like I'll just have to give you another chapter! Enjoy :P**

Two months later…

When I woke up, I felt suffocated, like I was in a coffin. I started to hyperventilate as unwanted, scary memories flooded back to me. I started to scream and kicked the coffin open, falling face first onto the floor. I gasped and curled up in a ball, my eyes shut tight.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was in a tent. I rolled over onto my back and looked out in front of me. There were two open coffins…and a worried looking vampire. "Vanessa, are you okay?" Mr. Crepsley asked me softly. I sat up and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine…it's just what happened can't really be left behind so quickly." I replied. He nodded and extended a hand. "Come, you, Darren, and myself have to go."

I took his hand and he pulled me up. I saw he was barefooted and noticed that he wasn't bringing anything with him. Quickly, I put two and two together. My eyes widened. "We're…we're going home?" I whispered disbelief obvious in my voice. He nodded. I screamed in happiness and ran off to find Darren.

I found him in his tent talking to Evra. Evra laughed when he saw me jumping up and down. The moment Darren's eyes found me, I glomped him. "OMG! Darren, we're going to Vampire Mountain!" I squealed. He pushed me off him. "Yeah, I Know." He said. I detected a hint of sourness in his voice. I glared.

"Is there something wrong with Vampire Mountain?" I questioned. His eyes widened when he realized I wasn't kidding. "Uh, no. Not at all." I nodded. "I thought so." I muttered, leaving his tent. I walked over to Mr. Tall's tent, walked inside, and plopped down onto his mini couch. "So is there a reason we're going?" I asked him. He looked up from his book and smiled.

"Of course, isn't there always a reason?" he chuckled. I laughed. "Yeah, guess so." He sighed and closed his book. "But, there's something you might not like about this trip…" he said, trailing off. I frowned. "Like?" I questioned. "Well…my father is sending two Little People with you to the Mountain." He replied. I groaned and rolled off his couch, falling on the ground. I huffed.

"Why does he feel the need to intervene in our affairs?" I groaned dramatically, standing up. Mr. Tall laughed. "Pretty obvious, really." He responded. I shrugged and walked out, almost running into my mentor. "Ah, Vanessa. I have been looking for you, it is time for us to leave!" he said, excitement in his eyes. I squealed as Darren came walking up, barefooted. I quickly kicked my flip flops off and headed off in the direction of home.

A few weeks later…

Finally, we came to Vampire Mountain. I looked at the two men, one boy, and, strange enough, one talking Little Person. On the way, we picked up a close friend of my mentor, Gavner Purl, and we lost a Little Person…that's when the one Darren nicknamed Lefty told us that his name was not Lefty, it was Harkat Mulds. Weird, I know. I looked at my mentor as tears formed in my eyes. "It's been twelve years since I've come home." I said blissfully. Gavner smiled at me. "We have long waited your arrival." He said as we walked to the base of the mountain. I nodded and popped my fingers. "See you guys at the top." I said, backing up. Darren looked confused.

I grinned, ran, and jumped up on the side of the Mountain. I quickly balanced myself and began to scale the mountain as the others followed suit. When I got to the top, I was tackled by another young vampire.

"Vanessa, my love!" he joked, tickling me. I started squealing. "Oh my gosh, Kurda! Stop it before I die!" I said, laughing. The rest of the rag tag group had come to the top by then. Darren looked confused and Mr. Crepsley smiled. "Ah, Kurda, it is a pleasure to see you." He greeted. Kurda smiled back as he held me in a head lock. "The pleasures all mine, Larten. Whoa, who's the kid?" he asked, looking at Darren curiously. Darren frowned. "Who you calling kid?" he retorted.

I smiled and laughed, getting out of his grip easily. "Chill out, man. Kurda, this is Larten's new assistant, Darren Shan. Darren, this is my cousin Kurda Smhalt. He also happens to be one of the Vampire Generals." I said. Kurda grinned. "Not for long, I'm soon to be a Prince." He said. I squealed and hugged him. "Oh my gosh! Congratulations, Kurda!" I smiled. Darren snorted.

"So now you're the preppy girl." He said sarcastically. I glared. "Darren, watch it. I haven't been home in almost 13 years and this is the time I can catch up with old friends." I growled. "So when will I get to do that?" he challenged. I bit my lip. "Darren…this is different." I said quietly. he shrugged, dismissing the conversation. I rolled my eyes and began to walk away.

"Where…are…you…going?" Harkat asked. Kurda yelped in surprise. "What the hell? Did that guy just talk?" he shouted. I nodded. "Yeah, his name's Harkat Mulds. Desmond sent him. And to answer your question, I'm going to the Hall of Princes to report my presence…on second thought, you should follow me." I said.

He nodded and followed. Gavner walked off as Darren and Harkat followed me, Larten, and Kurda to the Hall of Princes. I didn't bother knocking. I pushed the giant, majestic doors open and walked in. I came before the thrones and curtsied low. Paris stood and smiled, extending his arms. I grinned and jumped up to give him a hug. He laughed. "Ah, young Vanessa! It's been a long time!" I laughed.

"That it has." I smiled. He smiled and waved his hand at an eternally frozen chair next to his. I smiled and walked over to it as Larten and Darren walked up to Paris. I looked among the vast room and sat down in my own throne. I sighed. _This is where I belong._ I thought as my mentor spoke to Paris.

"So, how have your relations gone with the Vampaneze, Kurda?" Paris asked. I froze and drew in a ragged breath. I began to hyperventilate as Murlough's insane laughter rang in my ears. "Hey, shut up!" a young voice shouted. I slowly looked over at Darren, whose worried face was focused on mine. Mr. Crepsley stood next to him, his face red with embarrassment.

"Can't you see this topic causes her pain?" he asked, exasperated. Kurda looked at me and his eyes widened. I shook my head. "I'm fine; I'm just…out of it. Thank you for your concern, Master Shan, but this is a common topic around here." I said in a regal manor. He could tell I was hiding behind this façade. He walked up to the throne and held out his hand. "Come one, Vann. Why don't we walk around some?" he suggested. I smiled and nodded, taking his hand.

We walked out of the room and I showed him around the Mountain. I closed my eyes and smiled. "Can you hear it, Darren?" I whispered, squeezing his hand. "Hear what?" he asked me, confused. I opened my eyes. "The sound of the river flowing…it's like music." I said softly.

"That it is, mate." A rough voice said behind me. I turned and grinned. "Vanez!" I cried. He grinned. I hugged him. "Vanez, Darren Shan, Larten's new assistant. Darren, this is Vanez Blane. He trains all our newbies." I explained. Darren laughed. I hesitated and looked ahead at the door looming before us. I could hear the clinking of metal and grunts of vampires inside.

"Is Arra here?" I asked. He nodded. I took a deep breath and walked in. I saw her immediately. She had just finished an opponent on the other side of the large room. I grinned. I went to the closest wall and took a grand sword off the wall. I messed around a little and then walked to the other side of the room as Arra helped the vampire up, smiling.

"Got enough time to squeeze in an old friend?" I asked her before she started another fight. She looked at me and smiled warmly. "Ah, Vanessa! You must have come to learn a lesson!" she asked. People came around cheering. I looked at Darren and tossed him my iPod. "Don't let Vanez take that." I teased. He laughed and nodded. I turned back to Arra, grinning.

"Ready?" I asked her. She nodded and we began to circle each other. I had channeled in to the sound of the river. Then I straightened up. "Oh, almost forgot." I said. She looked confused. I grinned. "I lost a bet with Larten so…" I trailed off pulling a bandana out of my pocket. I tied it around my eyes so I couldn't see. Arra sighed.

"Vanessa, you don't have to do that." She said. I laughed. "A bets a bet." I said. She laughed. I channeled in on the river. I heard a noise to my left and struck out with my sword, slamming it into Arra's. I quickly flipped to the side and swirled my sword in a large arc. I heard a small gasp. I didn't know what I did."Cut her cheek." Darren said quietly. I nodded.

I heard a blood drop right behind me and, using my superhuman speed, ducked a blow from her sword and knocked her legs out from under her. I heard gasps. I extended my hand blindly out towards her. She grabbed it and yanked me to the ground on top of her. She gave me a huge bear hug. I giggled and hugged her back.

I pulled off the blind fold and stood up. I looked to the door of the room and saw Larten looking at Arra wistfully. He looked at me and smiled weakly. I smiled and skipped over to his side. "Why don't you talk to her?" I whispered to him as Arra fought another challenger. He raised an eyebrow. "Why would I do that?" he asked. I smiled. "I know you still love her." I replied, looking at her. He tensed a little by my side. "What makes you think that, my dear?" he finally asked. I looked at him for a few moments then stood on my tippy toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Because you raised me."


	14. Chapter 14: Darren's Trial

**Hope you all had a good New Years! I know I did :) well, here is chapter 14! Enjoy :3**

For the first couple of days, we took things pretty easy. Then Darren's trial came to order.

"Vanessa! Get up, now!" a familiar voice hissed, shaking me. I smacked their face. They grabbed my arm and slung me over their shoulder. "You really need to stop that." Larten grumbled. I groaned. "Put me down! I wanna sleep!" I whined.

"No, Vanessa. We need to go to Darren's trial and it is your duty as a Princess to attend and help pass judgment." He chided, pushing open the doors to the Hall of Princes.

I groaned. "Put me down. We can reschedule later!" I complained as he walked down the aisles. I heard giggles. He placed me on my throne. I glared at him. He looked at Paris. "I apologize, Vanessa has slacked off with her manners." He said. Darren snorted. "What manners?" he muttered. A few vampires laughed to themselves. I sighed.

Then, we began.

"As you all know, court has come to order on the subject of our newest member, Darren Shan." Paris began. I began to get nervous. "You also know that young Darren is underage." He declared. My stomach dropped. I looked at Darren. He looked worried. I smiled reassuringly at him.

"Now we must decide whether or not we should make an exception or not." He said. My breathing went a little out of whack. This is my best friend they're talking about. He was like a brother to me. "It would be safest if he was taken care of, but if you would rather test him, he can prove he's worthy."

Everyone was silent. "All in favor of disposal?" he asked. Over half the room raised a hand. My heart sank. I gripped my throne as though it was what was keeping my soul attached to this earth. I could feel the tears welling up. I took a deep breath and stood. "Wait." I said quietly.

Everyone's eyes turned to me. "I have to admit, my statement may be biased, but Darren Shan is one of the bravest half-vampires I've ever seen." I said. A vampire stood and cleared his throat. "If I may, Princess." He said. I nodded. He sighed. "How can we trust your word? We haven't seen or heard much of this boy. He can't even legally drink." He said. I shrugged.

"If it weren't for Darren, I wouldn't be here. I would have died almost 4 years ago." I said simply. I looked at Darren who was smiling weakly at me. I looked at the vampires. "Darren is worthy. I'd go as far to say he'd make a hell of a Prince as well. But we won't know that if you don't give him a chance." I finished. I sat and looked at Paris. He nodded at looked at them.

"All in favor of Vanessa's proposal?" most of the vampires raised a hand. Paris nodded. "Very well. Darren will have one day to mentally prepare himself before choosing his first task." He said. Darren frowned. "For what?" he asked. Paris looked at him, pitying his innocence.

"Your first task for the Trials of Death."


	15. Chapter 15: Hello, Love

**Hey ya'll! Sorry it's taken me over months to update but um…yeah, here we go! :D Oh! And by the way, this is where my story strays from the series storyline…just a heads up :P**

I paced back in forth in the room I shared with my cousin, Kurda. He was sitting on my makeshift dresser, watching me go back and forth. He sighed. "Vanessa, he'll be fine, they won't let him pick something that will for sure get him killed." I groaned and fell into my coffin. "I know, but I want to be there! I want to help him somehow." I cried, frustrated. He laughed. "I know. That's exactly why you can't, you know what he finds difficult and easy, what his fears are." He said. I sighed. He rolled his eyes and stood up, extending his arms out to me. "Come on, my dear cousin. We need to go get this off your mind." He said. I shrugged and took his hands, letting him pull me up. He took my hand and led me down the hallways of the massive, castle-in-a-mountain.

"I thought you guys were cousins." I turned and saw Darren coming out of a room, walking towards us. I rolled my eyes. "I can hold hands with my cousin." I retorted. He laughed. "So what are you up to?" he asked as the three of us walked. I paused. "Actually, I need to go get my clothes from Seba…" I trailed off. I looked at Darren. "So do you." I noted. He looked down at himself and shrugged. Kurda laughed. So we headed off to Seba.

We walked into his chambers. "Seba!" I sang. He didn't appear to be there. "He must be with Larten." Kurda mused. "Yeah probably…hey, get something for Darren." I said as I made my way to the very back. I smiled when I came to a glossy black wooden chest. I sat on my feet and pulled it open. Pulling out the black material, I sighed happily. My dress. I quickly slipped out of my ragged clothes and put on my dress. It was a black strapless corset dress with the lacing in the back instead of the front and had a tutu bottom with layers of purple.

I reached into the chest and pulled out my necklace that my mother had given me. I put it on and pressed my hand against the smooth amethyst stone. I took the stone out for a moment and ran up my legs and over my arms. They started to glow softly and black, tribal tattoos swirled up my body, revealing themselves. I walked over to where the boys were waiting on me. Darren's eyes popped out of his head.

"Whoa, Vanessa, you…wow. Wait, where did those tattoos come from?" Darren asked, confused. I laughed. "I've always had them, they were just hidden." I gave Kurda the stone. "Can you get my back?" I asked as I turned around. He ran the cool stone down my back and laced it, tying it in a bow at the bottom of my back. I turned and took the stone from him, placing it back on my necklace. "There, that's better." I smiled. Kurda laughed at me.

"So, what all is there to do around here?" Darren asked curiously as the three of us walked out of Seba's chamber. "Exploring, fighting, sneaking about, walking about outside." I said. Kurda snickered. "Getting drunk and picking fights." He teased. My face turned red as I remembered the embarrassing moment. "I was not drunk!" I whined. Kurda and Darren snickered at me. "Vanessa!" a frantic voice shouted.

I turned around to see Arra Sails running towards me, a look of fear on her face. My face paled. "Arra, what's wrong?" I asked, confused, as she reached us. She bit her lip. "Darren's trials have been indefinitely put on hold." She said. I stared back, shocked. "Isn't that a good thing? He has time to train." I said, even more confused. She shook her head. "It's because…Mr. Tiny is here." She whispered. My eyes widened. "What!" I shrieked, my knees shaking. "Why is he here?" Darren asked her, afraid. Arra stared at me. "He's waiting for Vanessa in the Hall of Princes…it's about the Vampaneze Lord." She said, her voice quivering. Kurda and I gasped.

I burst into a run, soon flitting. I groaned as I hit the doors of the Hall of Princes with a thud. I shakily stood up and pushed open the doors. Mr. Crepsley, the Princes, and Mr. Tiny were all there. I frowned when I saw that Mr. Tiny was sitting on my throne. "Hello, Desmond." I greeted pleasantly as I walked up to Mr. Crepsley. He smiled, amused. "Hello, Vanessa. Did you have a nice run?" he snickered. I glared at him. He sighed. "You are so stiff, you need to lighten up." He complained. I snorted. Mr. Crepsley pinched my arm as Desmond clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk Larten. You should teach her manners. She will be needing them for what I have in store for her." He said, smiling wickedly. Mr. Crepsley's eyes narrowed. Kurda, Darren, and Arra walked in then. Mr. Tiny smiled brightly at them. "Ah, hello friends and family of Vanessa!" he said, staring at each and every one of them. Paris cleared his throat. "What exactly do you have in store for our young Princess, Desmond?" he asked warily. Desmond looked at Kurda and smiled. "Well, it seems our dear Vampaneze have found their leader at long last." His face paled. _Interesting…_ I thought, making a note to myself to find out whatever Kurda was hiding.

"So what has this to do with Vanessa?" Mr. Crepsley asked. Mr. Tiny started laughing and clapping gleefully. "Oh, I thought you'd never ask! You see, I've decided to solve your little problem with a form of diplomacy." He said. I frowned. "What problem? There won't be a problem. Now that they've found him, we can use the Stone of Blood **(AN: If that's not what it's called, please tell me, my memory is a bit fuzzy ^^;;)** to track him down and kill him, thus preventing the destined War of Scars." I said. Kurda's eyes popped open. "I suppose that was your plan?" I asked him. He flushed and nodded sheepishly. "Only mine was a bit more…elaborate." He said. I nodded. Mr. Tiny sighed.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that if that happened, nearly everyone in this room and a certain other Vampire Prince would be dead." My face paled. "What must we do, then?" Arra pressed. Mr. Tiny turned his attention to her. "Why, by marriage of course. Use Vanessa and their Lord to make a bond between the clans." He said. I froze. "That's just sick." Darren said, his hands now clenched into fists and shaking at his sides. Everyone was taken aback, except Mr. Tiny. He smiled. "Yes, but how else am I to entertain myself?" he asked dramatically. I shook my head slowly, trying to make myself believe this was a dream. "It's not a dream, my dear. They should be arriving now actually." Desmond said, pulling out his heart shaped watch. I glared.

"No, I refuse to marry someone that I don't love, let alone someone I don't know! Especially when the person in question is a Vampaneze." I seethed, aware of a set of familiar footsteps behind me. Darren yelped in surprise. "Even if that person was an old friend?" a voice behind me asked. I froze, my knees shaking. Mr. Crepsley's face paled as he, Arra, and Kurda turned to see who was speaking. Kurda and Arra looked confused. "Vanessa, who is that?" Kurda asked, confused. I couldn't utter the words.

"Steve Leonard." Darren whispered.


	16. Chapter 16: Falling

_**Sorry it's pretty long, word count is over 3700 :o well, I hope you enjoy! :) R&R, tell me what ya think! C:**_

I closed my eyes as Steve came up behind me. "What, no hug? Not even a simple hello after all these years?" I slowly turned and gasped. Steve had gotten taller, leaner…more scarred. He looked seventeen…could that be right? He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. He had ten small scars on his fingertips. I looked into his blood red eyes and shivered as I looked into his soul. He shrugged and started to circle me.

"Hmm…the tattoos are new." He noted to himself. Mr. Crepsley grabbed his arm. "I suggest you step away." He said in a menacing tone. Steve's eyes filled with hatred and anger. "Get your hands off me before I kill you." He snarled. My eyes widened as I remembered the promise he made all those years ago. I slid in between them. "Its okay, Mr. Crepsley." I said, looking him in the eyes. Hesitantly, he let Steve go, who continued to glare. "Thank you, love." He said. Kurda glared at Steve.

"Love? Who the hell are you?" he questioned. Steve held up my left hand and pointed at the silver ring that I always wore on my thumb. I flinched at the touch. "I just happen to be Vanessa's boyfriend." He paused and then looked at me. "Or would it now be fiancé?" he asked, winking. My cheeks turned pink. "Is that so?" Arra asked, glaring at me. I ducked my head, she had always wanted me to be my cousin's mate…I thought it was awkward, but apparently it was okay back in her day.

I looked back at my throne and froze. "What happened to Desmond?" I asked. Everyone looked around. "He must have left." Paris said simply. I looked at Paris. "Are we really going to go through with this?" I asked, aware of Steve's gaze on me. He sighed. "Vanessa, you are young, very young, and have longer to live than the rest of us, we will not force such a decision on you, and you may make your own choice." I smiled thankfully. "Thank you, Paris." I said. He nodded. "In the mean time, we must make our…guest feel welcome." I nodded. "I'll take him to Seba." I said. "I'll come with." Darren said, speaking up for the first time since Steve walked in. I hesitated. "That's up to Steve." I said looking at his face. Steve frowned. "No thank you." He said, disgusted. I sighed and took his hand. "Come on you big lug."

He rolled his eyes and followed me out of the Hall of Princes. We were silent for awhile. "So, how have you been?" I asked quietly when we entered Seba's chamber. Steve stared at me. "We haven't seen each other in over five years and you ask how I've been?" he asked, disgusted. I flinched. "I'm sorry, I—" He cut me off. "Don't, if you were sorry you would have come back and visited." He said angrily. I glared at him. "Visited where? Steve, you look seventeen and we haven't seen each other since we were fifteen, you were obviously blooded before I could come back and visit." I hissed. He clenched his teeth. I walked off and brought him back a set of black clothes. He stared at them.

"What are these?" he asked. "They're robes; it's what we wear here." I said. He looked at my dress and raised an eyebrow. "It's a gift from Lady Evanna." I said. He frowned, not recognizing the name. I sighed. "Let me show you the showers, no offense but you stink." I muttered. He frowned but didn't make any comment. When we got to the showers I looked at him. "I'll be waiting outside." I muttered. He nodded. I walked through the wide arch and sat down, leaning against the wall, feeling the cool stone on the back of my neck. I couldn't believe it. After all this time, I've been reunited with Steve, the one I love…but it didn't feel like he loved me still. I sighed, playing with the ring on my thumb, losing myself in our happy memories together.

He came and sat next to me, wearing the black clothing I got for him. I don't know how long we sat there, but after awhile he sighed, breaking the silence. "What are we doing?" he asked, annoyed. I paused and shook my head slowly. "Nothing, I was just thinking." I mumbled, standing up. He stood up too and took my hand. "What were you thinking about?" he asked curiously." I shook my head. "Don't worry about it." I said. He nodded, understanding that I didn't want to talk about it. "Okay, so where am I staying? I assume I'll be bunking with you." He mused. I looked at him. "Uh, except for the fact that I bunk with Kurda." I said. He frowned. "Who's Kurda?" he asked. I rolled my eyes. "He's my cousin, you dweeb." I snickered. He frowned. "Hey!" he said, tickling me.

I squealed and started to run. He laughed and chased after me. We received weird looks as we ran through the mountain's many halls, screaming and laughing. Finally he tackled me to the ground. I squirmed. "Steve, you're crushing me!" I laughed. He snickered and leaned in. I flushed as my heart started pounding. It was more embarrassing now that he could hear it. He laughed softly and pressed his lips to mine. Despite my new fear of Vampaneze men, I moaned and wrapped my arms around his neck. Then someone cleared their throat. Steve jumped off me and I got up on my feet, fixing my dress. I looked up into the eyes of an unhappy Kurda. I flushed.

"Um, Steve this is my cousin Kurda." I said. Steve frowned. I looked at Kurda. "Am I needed?" I asked him, secretly annoyed that he interrupted my much wanted kiss. He glared at Steve as he said, "Yeah. There's been no sign of Larten or Darren anywhere, have you seen them?" he asked. My face paled. "Just Darren and Larten? Has anyone else gone missing?" I asked him. He shook his head. I turned to Steve. "You're a Vampaneze; a Vampire would never let a Vampaneze in here, not unless they were overpowered." I said, putting the pieces together. Steve smirked at me. "It wasn't hard, considering that there has been some hiding out in here for the past few years." He sneered, looking at Kurda. I froze. "Kurda…how much more elaboration was in your plan?" I asked. He looked down at his feet. "About twenty Vampaneze." He muttered. I froze.

"Kurda, how could you!" I shouted, tears forming in my eyes. Hen looked up at me and started pouring out his soul when he saw my tears. "Nessie, I'm so sorry! I only brought in the Vampaneze who dreaded the arrival of their Lord, they never wanted a war!" he pleaded. Steve laughed. "Well, didn't that backfire? They have no choice but to obey me." He said. That's when I heard someone slip behind me. My eyes widened.

"Kurda, run!"I shouted grabbing his arm and running as far away from Steve as possible. "Go get them!" he shouted, chasing after us with five Vampaneze hot on his heels. That's when we hit a dead end. I turned around and came face to face with Steve. "Steve, what are you doing?" I gasped, pressing myself against the wall. He snapped his fingers, never taking his eyes off me. The Vampaneze came and circled Kurda. I screamed. "No, stop! He's outnumbered!" I shouted, trying to break away as Steve restrained me.

Kurda stared at me. "Vanessa, I'm so sorry!" he shouted. As soon as the words left his lips, a Vampaneze stabbed him in the stomach with a sword. "No! Kurda!" I screamed. Steve clamped his hand over my mouth. "Shut up." He hissed. I wriggled under his grasp, sobbing as my cousin fell to the floor, gasping and bleeding. "Let me go!" I cried as I finally wrenched his hand from my mouth. He pushed me towards my cousin. I fell to my feet and pulled his head onto my lap. I kissed his face over and over again. "Kurda, I'm so sorry! I love you so much!" I whispered between sobs. He smiled weakly. "Vanessa, don't cry over me, I love you too." He said, squeezing my hand with what strength he had left. Still sobbing, I reached over him with shaky hands and dipped my fingertips in his blood. I ran my fingers over his face, marking it with his blood. I pulled him up as my teeth sharpened into fangs. "Even in death may we be triumphant." We whispered in unison. He smiled sadly and closed his eyes. I wiped my eyes and, taking a deep breath, I bit his neck and began to drink his blood. The Vampaneze around us gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Steve asked one of them. "To drink the blood of a Vampire or a Vampaneze is suicide." He said as I slowly sat up, wiping Kurda's blood off my lips. I looked at the Vampaneze. "Except for me." I said quietly. I turned to Steve. "Are you happy now? Is this what you wanted?" I hissed between my teeth, tears of anger and sorrow running down my cheeks. He stared at me and turned to the two Vampaneze next to him. "Take his body somewhere he'll be found." He ordered. They stared at him, incredulous. "But then they'll know we were here." One said. Steve glared at him. "Just do it." He growled. They nodded.

I hugged Kurda's body one last time and took off my amulet, kissing it. I laid it on his chest and placed his hands over it. "Have no regrets, Kurda. You were amazing, even with your plan. I'll see you soon." I said. Sniffling, I stood up and stepped away, watching as they took away my cousin's body. I wiped my eyes, now angry at myself for crying in the face of my enemies. Pathetic. "See you soon?" Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. I stared at him. "Yes, in Paradise. I assume you'll kill me too." I muttered, running my hand through my hair. He stared at me. "Now why would I do that?" he asked me. I frowned. "Um because, I know you're here and I know you killed Kurda, and that you're behind Darren and Mr. Crepsley's disappearance." I said. He laughed and walked closer to me. "Yes, but no one will know that if you're not here to tell them."

He said, slinging me over his shoulder. I gasped. "Steve, put me down!" I whispered furiously. I didn't know why I was trying so hard to be quiet, I should have been screaming for help. He just laughed quietly and turned to the remaining Vampaneze. "Lead the way boys." He said. I remained silent as they snuck their way out of the mountain and into the surrounding forest. After walking for what felt like an eternity, Steve slammed me down on a cold, rock floor. I huffed as the wind got knocked out of me. "Ouch." I wheezed, rolling over onto my stomach. I looked up and saw Darren passed out in a corner. I gasped and got up, running to him. "Darren? Darren! Are you okay?" I shouted, shaking him. He started blinking. "Ugh…I have a headache…Vanessa? What are you doing here?" he asked, confused. That's when he saw Steve. He glared. "You're behind all this." He growled. I blinked.

This was the first time Darren has been truly ticked. Darren pulled himself up and stood in front of me. Steve towered over Darren, but Darren could probably take him, he'd been a Vampire longer than Steve had been a Vampaneze, was more aware of his strength. Steve didn't seem to like Darren's bravery. "Back off." He hissed. Darren's eye narrowed. "You really are a piece of work, aren't you?" Darren muttered. I stood up and squeezed in between the two before things could really get bad. "Guys, stop! I won't tolerate my best friends fighting!" I shouted. Steve just pushed me out of the way. I glared and smacked him. He stared at me, shocked. "What the hell was that for!" he shouted. "Don't ignore me, Steve. Now where the hell is Mr. Crepsley?" I demanded. Steve paused and looked around. "About that…" a familiar voice said. I turned and my eyes popped out of my head.

"R.V.?" I cried, surprised. He glared at me and then turned to Steve. "He got away…" he trailed off. I sighed in relief. "He got away?" Steve seethed. I cowered behind Darren, afraid of what he might do. He started shaking and punched a wall. "Damnit, R.V.! They're going to know where we are now!" R.V. bit his lip. Steve sighed. "Oh well, I guess he'll just be killed in the battle." He muttered. I froze. "Battle?" I repeated, confused. Steve turned to me and smiled sickly. "Why yes, don't you remember what your pathetic cousin said?" I clenched my teeth and fists, resisting the urge to hurt him. Steve clicked his tongue. "He told you there were over twenty Vampaneze involved in his scheme, and they will attack your precious clan." He explained. I glared.

"Okay, that's bad tactics on your part. There's hundreds of Vampires in the Mountain, and you sent in a little over twenty Vampaneze? You're just uselessly throwing away their lives, that's cruel." I said, angrily. He shook his head. "Oh, no. The battle will only last long enough to get the Stone." He said, sitting down on a rock in front of me. I mashed my teeth together and then froze. _Oh no… _I fell to my knees. "No….no….no, no, no!" I moaned, my head falling into my hands. Darren and Steve stared at me. "Besides the obvious, what's wrong?" Darren asked, immediately coming to my side. I looked up at him. "When the Vampaneze attack, all the best fighters will welcome it as a challenge, which means…" I choked on the thought. Darren was still confused. "Which means what?" he asked. I looked at Steve. "I'm going back." I said, standing up.

The Vampaneze that were in the cave with us blocked the entrance. I glared at Steve. He sighed and stood. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." He said. I continued to glare. "I wasn't asking for your permission." I said. He walked right up in front of me and looked down into my eyes. "Is that so? And why should I let you go?" he asked in a low voice. I stared at him. "They are my people, some of them need my immediate attention." I urged. He just shook his head and turned away. I grabbed his wrist. He stopped. "Steve please, I swear I'll come back, you just have to let me do this." I begged. He stared at me, looking into my eyes, searching for something. Steve sighed. "Then I'm coming with you." He said. He walked over to a Vampaneze. "Give me your sword." He ordered. The guy stared at him, incredulous. "But my Lord, its suicide." He said, exasperated. Steve growled. "I didn't ask for your opinion, I asked for your sword." Hesitantly, the man gave Steve his sword. Darren stood. "I'm going too." He said. Steve glared at Darren. "Fine." He muttered. He looked at the Vampaneze.

"Stay here, we'll be right back." He said. They nodded and stepped away from the entrance of the cave. And so, we began to run. We got to the mountain in a matter of seconds. I became worried as I heard the sounds of clashing metal. "Oh, god I hope I'm not too late." I muttered. I jumped onto the side of the mountain and quickly scaled it, Steve and Darren struggling to catch up. I flipped into the nearest opening and froze. It was chaos, Vampires and Vampaneze fighting. That's when I saw her…when a Vampaneze was sneaking up on her.

I took a flying star out of the wall next to me and expertly threw it, hitting the Vampaneze in the back. He shrieked and fell over. Arra looked behind her and then up, looking for the attacker. She grinned when she saw me. I jumped into action then. I picked up a sword from the floor and started fighting, channeling in on the river that flows through the mountain and the somehow melodious clinking of swords. I stabbed a Vampaneze to my right and ran to Arra. I pressed my self against her back and raised my sword, deflecting the blow of a Vampaneze. I Spartan kicked him and stabbed him in the gut, wincing as I recalled my cousin's last moments.

"Vanessa, where's Darren and Kurda?" she asked, swinging her sword in an arc, cutting of the hand of her attacker. He shrieked and backed up a few steps when a man with fiery hair stabbed him. I hesitated. "Kurda's gone, he was killed during the initial ambush." I shouted. Mr. Crepsley looked at me. "Initial ambush? Vanessa, this is the initial ambush. What is going on? You know, do you not?" he pressed. It hit me then that Larten didn't know that the Vampaneze who had attacked him and Darren earlier were part of the same group we were fighting now. I hesitated and then everything went into slow motion as I turned to look at Steve…who was about to be killed at the hands of Mika. I screamed and ran as fast as I could, shoving through the people.

"Vanessa!" Arra cried. I reached him just in time, sliding on top of him and raising my sword, which was met by Mika's. Mika stared at me, confused. "Vanessa, move out of the way! He must die!" he shouted. I took a dagger out of Steve's pocket and threw it at a Vampaneze who was trying to sneak up behind Mika. "Mika, let him be!" I shouted, pushing my sword up, giving Steve space to slip from underneath me. "Steve, run!" I screamed as Mika pushed me out of the way. Steve knocked Mika's leg out from underneath him and ran to the entrance of the cave. He stared at me. I nodded and he jumped. I turned back to the battle and froze. I looked around me frantically, looking for something I could throw. _No, no, NO! _I screamed in my head_. _"Arra, look out!" I shrieked, running over to where she was. But I was too late. She cried out as a Vampaneze stabbed her in the back. I screamed. "No!" I kept pushing my way, almost reaching her. The Vampaneze cackled.

"Stupid woman, Vampiredom was not made for your kind." He sneered. Finally I reached them. "Oh, yeah?" I challenged. He looked over at me, slightly confused. That's when I pulled back my hand and let it snap. He shrieked. "You broke my nose!" he screeched. He took his sword and roared, charging towards me. I took the sword from my mother's hand and deflected his blow. I rolled to the side and stabbed his foot. He cried out and sliced my arm. I hissed. Then I began to swing my sword in little circles before I finally charged, spun around, and stabbed him in the stomach. He stopped and suddenly I felt blood dripping onto my shoulder. I yanked the sword out and he fell to his knees behind me. Dropping the sword, I ran to Arra's side. I looked at her.

"Arra? Arra! Answer me!" I cried out. She rolled her head to the side. The battle was ending. Suddenly a group of Vampaneze started running from the passageway that led to the entrance…carrying the Stone, and the rest retreated, none of us able to stop them. I started sobbing. "Arra!" I shrieked. Mr. Crepsley's head snapped over to us and he ran, abandoning his friend Vanez, who was trying to talk to him. I started sobbing. She smiled weakly. "Don't cry, love." she whispered. My mentor dropped to his knees. "Arra…" he whispered. Darren saw us and ran over to other vampires, getting their attention. Soon they rushed over and started to carefully pick her up.

"No! Don't take her from me!" I sobbed as my mentor pried my fingers from her arm. She smiled at me. "I love you, my dear. You've grown into such a beautiful young woman." She murmured. I cried even harder as they took her away. My mentor held me in his arms, rocking me back in forth like I was a child again. I soon realized he too was crying. I peered over his shoulder towards the entrance of the cave and saw Steve leaning against it. I cried even harder and buried my face in Mr. Crepsley's chest.

**Three days later…**

I stared at them body as they burned Arra and Kurda, holding Mr. Crepsley's hand. I had cried all my tears two day before as Arra, Larten and I talked. My eyes were still stinging and I felt sick. Mr. Crepsley and I were the last two people in the room. I looked up at him. "What are you going to do now?" I asked. I ended up telling him everything that had happened between me and Steve. He sighed. "I will most likely stay here for a little bit longer." He sighed. I nodded and then hesitated. He stared at me. "Vanessa, what is the matter?" he asked. I looked him in the eyes. "I'm sending Darren back. I'm not going to let him suffer for my mistakes." I said quietly. Mr. Crepsley cocked his head to the side. "But Vanessa, you promised Steve that the both of you would return. Besides, if Darren were to be returned, he would immediately be subjected to the trials and all the best trainers are either wounded or…" he choked up, staring at what remained of the woman he loved. I smiled. "Don't worry, I have a plan." I said. He nodded and we walked together to go have what could be our last meal together.


	17. Chapter 17

**Wow! It's been a while, eh? :) Sorry I haven't updated, I've been way busy D: AND I have an announcement! For those of you who love the Darren Shan Saga (and Mr. Crepsley!) and the Infernal Devices, Prequel series to the ever amazing series ****the Mortal Instruments**** by Cassandra Clare, you're in luck! I'm writing a crossover for the two series with Mr. Crepsley as a love interest! :D I'm so proud, I've only just been able to wrap my mind around a world where Mr. Crepsley was romantic, I personally have never been able to write him like that, but thanks to some stories where Mr. Crepsley is the love interest, I've been able to write him as so :) so yeah, check out my story, Living a Lie, and I'll let you get to it! Enjoy ;)**

Darren and I stood outside the mouth of the cave where the Vampaneze were as the sun rose. I shivered, even though it was quite warm. Darren looked at me. "Vanessa, we don't have to go, we can go back to Vampire Mountain and bring a small army—" he began but immediately stopped when I looked into his eyes. I don't know why, but his eyes filled with hurt as mine bore into his.

"It's already sunrise, Darren. And it's not that, it's just…" I trailed off, looking out towards the sun and biting my bottom lip. Darren gently took hold of my chin and pulled my face to where I was facing him. My eyes widened, he hadn't touched me like this since he and Larten had killed Murlough…

"Is it just because of Steve?" he asked me softly. I nodded, tears prickling my eyes. I pulled my face away and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand before the tears could run down my cheeks. "He's just so different now and…" I trailed off, unable to utter the words that I could barely think. Darren frowned and stepped in front of me, crossing his arms across his chest. "He's not worth it, Van." He said, his voice quiet and stern.

"Who's not worth what?" a familiar voice asked from the mouth of the cave. Darren looked up at Steve, who returned his gaze. I watched, confused, as they began to glaring. "Nothing Steve, really." I said, walking towards the cave as Steve jumped down, never taking his glare off Darren.

He darted his arm out and yanked me to his side, snaking it around my waist. I flushed as he trailed feather like kisses along my jaw. Darren's eyes were a mess of emotion as Steve spoke. "That's good, baby. Why don't we go have some alone time? He whispered huskily into my ear as he stared at Darren.

"I think its best that she gets sleep, she hasn't slept a wink for the past four days." Darren said, harshly pronouncing each and every syllable. Steve let me go and help m face up so he could see it. He had a frown glued to his face. "Why haven't you been sleeping? You need to stay in good health." He chided. I swallowed.

"Someone close to me died in the battle." I whispered hoarsely, nearly choking on the rising lump in my throat. Steve was about to ask another question when a guard—who seemed familiar—approached the mouth of the cave.

"My Lord, it's nearly sunrise, you need your rest if you wish to start the search tonight." The Vampaneze said. Steve nodded and politely took my elbow, leading me to the cave as Daren followed behind.

Steve ushered me to his coffin. I bit my lip and shook my head. "No, I'm fine. I won't be able to sleep anyways." I explained. He shrugged and leaned over, kissing me deeply, before climbing into his coffin and shutting the lid.

I turned and walked over to the remains of the fire where Darren sat, staring moodily into the embers. I sighed and sat next to him, snuggling into his side like I used to when we were traveling with Mr. Crepsley. The Vampaneze from before came and sat next to me, careful to stay in the shadows of the cave.

"So you're this Vampire Princess I've been hearing about lately." I nodded. "Yeah, that's me." I turned to the man and furrowed my brows. _Why does this man seem so familiar?_ "My brother is a Prince." He said quietly, looking at me from the corner of his eyes. That's when it clicked.

"You're Vancha's brother." I stated. I'd only met the Prince once, but he made an impression. The Vampaneze laughed at whatever expression seized my face. "Yes, my name is Gannen." He said, stretching his hand out to me. I took it and shook it firmly. "Vanessa." I said, even though I was sure he knew my name. We sat in silence. "You seem different than the others." I said. Gannen slowly nodded.

"Yes, most are filled with…bloodlust." He said, for lack of a better word. "Or crazy." Darren muttered, referring to Murlough. I shuddered at the thought. Darren felt it and wrapped his arms around me, rubbing small circles into my arm with his thumbs.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up." He whispered. Gannen looked uneasy. "I was…attacked by Murlough a few years back." I explained. The look of unease still didn't go away. "What is it?" I asked. He shook his head slowly and looked at Darren. "I would advise you not to do that. The Lord is possessive and jealous. He said, referring to the way Darren was holding me.

Darren held me tighter in response. Gannen shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "So I assume you killed Murlough, then?" He asked, addressing me. I shook my head no. "Our mentor did. I was incapacitated at the time." I said in a small voice. A look of understanding crossed Gannen's face,

"Oh, dear God. I am truly sorry. Vampire or not. No woman should be subjected to that." He said sincerely. I flushed. He was the only other person aside from Darren, Evra, Larten and I to know about this. "Thank you." It sounded like a question. Gannen yawned and I realized we were keeping him up.

"Gannen, you can sleep. We're not going anywhere." I smiled warily. He smiled back. "I know, I just wanted to see why the Lord wants you so bad." He stood up and paused. "He spoke of you even before Mr. Tiny came with news of a pact between our clans." He said quietly before going to his coffin and retiring for the day.

I sighed. "Vanessa, try to get some sleep, okay?" Darren whispered as he lay down on the cool stone floor of the cave, me still in his arms. I nodded and curled up into the familiarity of Darren's chest, sleeping soundly for the first time in years.


	18. Chapter 18: Release

**So, long chappy! Yay! :) It's crazy, without this little A/N, the story is nearly 2,500 words…pretty crazy! BUT, I hope you guys enjoy and I hope that I hadn't kept you waiting too long…WARNING: This chapter is kind of dramatic and thing will begin… ;) enjoy!**

**Three Months later…**

"Darren…Darren, wake up." I whispered furiously, shaking his shoulder. His eyelids fluttered and he stared at me for a long time.

"Vanessa…what do you want?" he asked harshly, but quietly. My palms were sweaty as I went over the plan in my head. I rubbed my fingers over the smooth, cold surface of the throbbing object I held behind my back. My heart was heavy, not only because of what I was about to do, but because of what I'd done.

"Darren…Darren, I'm so sorry. I…I just couldn't stand getting you hurt—"

"So you thought it better to ignore me for three months straight?" He was angry now as he sat up, staring straight into my eyes. "Vanessa, I don't care. I'm a half vampire; physical pain isn't new to me." He spat. I took in a shaky breath.

"Good, because that's what you're about to feel." I said, my voice stronger than I thought it would be. He stared at me, confused. I took my hand behind my back and opened my hand, revealing the object to him. His eyes widened.

"The Stone of Blood." He whispered. I nodded and sliced a small cut in the palm of my hand with my razor sharp nail. I took Darren's hand and did the same thing. "Vanessa…what are you doing?" He asked me quietly.

"Darren, did Mr. Crepsley or Kurda ever tell you how one becomes a Vampire Prince?" I asked him, staring into his eyes. He nodded. "Yes, a current Prince and the Prince-to-be place their blood into the…" he trailed off as the realization of my plan dawned on him.

"No, Vanessa, I won't let you do it." He hissed. I glared. "Darren, you must. I have to stay here or all hell will break loose between the clans, but you…Darren, you must go. You have to give the stone to the clan and tell Mr. Crepsley that I'm alright, and the only way that will happen successfully is if you return a Prince. Princes are above the law." I whispered furiously.

"Tell him that you're alright? Vanessa, look at you! Your clothes have been torn to shreds, you have bags under your eyes, I can see your ribs, and you're so pale! Even for a Vampire!" He hissed, shaking me. "Mr. Crepsley would not be proud right now." He whispered, pushing my thick, greasy hair out of my eyes.

I stared at him, hard. "No, he wouldn't be. I made him a promise and I haven't yet kept it." I said sternly. Darren stared at me. "And what was that promise?" He asked. I held his face and pressed my lips to his forehead. "I swore that you'd return to Vampire Mountain, alive and well. Please, Darren…I need you to go…I know he doesn't always show it, but he needs you; always has and always will." I whispered.

Darren quietly snorted at this. "Yeah right, he never wanted me as an assistant anyways. Besides, he always had you." He whispered. I stared at Darren for a long time before speaking. "Darren, to him…you're the son he's always wanted but never had. Don't take that away from him." I whispered, tears rolling down my cheeks. Darren stared, shocked.

We were silent for a long time as we stared at each other and he soaked in what I was saying. "Okay…I'll do it." He said. I nodded and stretched my bloodied hand out to him, the stone throbbing harder now that it had been in contact with my blood.

"Okay, ready?" I asked. He nodded and placed his hand on top of the stone. I pressed his hand down with my free one when I heard a sharp intake of breath. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt a surge of life flow through my veins. I could feel the blood and spirit of all the Princes before me, and of my fellow Princes. Soon, I felt a familiar presence, one that sent my stomach flipping. It was warm, strong, and selfless.

It was Darren.

I opened my eyes and took my hand off of his. His eyes opened and he stared at me. I placed the stone in my pocket and licked my hand, sealing up my cut. I stretched out for his hand, intending to heal his wound as well. He shook his head. "Vanessa, drink first." He ordered. I froze and stared at him, my mouth forming a little o. I had forgotten that Darren knew that I could drink the blood of another vampire.

"Darren…I don't know…I've only ever drunk from Mr. Crepsley…and you have a long journey ahead of you." I whispered. He shrugged. "Yeah, but so do you, and you won't be able to drink as much as I'll be able to when you make yours." He said. I hesitated and finally gave in.

"Okay…tell me if it hurts." I said. He nodded and extended his bloody palm. I licked my cracked lips and placed my mouth to the wound, drinking his blood. It was sweet, like spring water, and pure…so pure.

I licked the cut and sat up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. "Thanks Darren." I whispered. I stood up slowly, getting used to the strength that was now building up in my body. Darren stood as well. I looked up at the sky illuminated by the full moon. I took a deep breath in and turned to Darren.

"I'll take you to the edge of the forest and give you directions to the Cirque. Mr. Tall will be able to find Mr. Crepsley's mind and direct you to the Mountain." I said gently. He nodded and took my hand. I smiled slightly and intertwined my fingers with his.

We walked silently through the towering trees, listening to the crickets chirp, the owls hoot, and the grass crunch beneath our bare feet._ I need to hurry…what if Steve wakes up before I get back…_

I heard a crunch in the bushes and Darren stopped, fear in his eyes. He clutched my hand tighter. "Vanessa…you don't think…" he trailed off. We stared at the bush and, soon enough, a doe came out. I smiled and shook my head, releasing a shaky breath. "Oh, thank the gods." I whispered.

"Yes, thank the gods indeed, for showing your true intentions." A voice from behind us said. We whirled around to see Steve flanked by Gannen and R.V. I froze. Steve smirked. "Get the Stone, keep Vanessa alive. I couldn't care less with what you do with Darren." He said. The gears of my body whirled into action as I shouted.

"Darren, run!"He didn't need to be told twice. He yanked my arm and we broke into a sprint, Gannen, R.V., and Steve hot on our trail. I concentrated, trying to find Mr. Tall. Suddenly, my mind flared and I felt the haughty, caring, and wise presence of Mr. Tall.

_We are 30 miles to the West, Cormac and Evra are on their way to retrieve Darren._ His voice said in my head. I smiled. "Thanks." I whispered breathlessly. I stopped and flung Darren over my shoulder. "Hang on!" I shouted before bursting into a flit. We crashed just outside of the forest. I looked up to see a van driving madly towards us.

The van swung in and arc, the side doors sliding open as it came to a stop. Evra jumped out. "Vanessa!" he shouted. I hugged him and pulled away. I jumped into the van and grabbed the sword that I had left in Mr. Crepsley's coffin back at the Cirque.

"The Big Man though you might need it." Cormac said with a wink. I grinned. "Thanks Cormac, much obliged." I jumped out of the car and faced Darren as I heard Steve's shouting getting closer. "Time for you to go Darren…. Look don't worry about me, I'll be alright." I said, sticking the stone in his pants pocket. He nodded and crushed me to him.

He pulled away and stared into my eyes. "Just make sure you come back." He whispered. I nodded. "I swear." I whispered back. He nodded and hesitated. I smiled. "Just do it, you idiot." I laughed. He smiled slightly and brought his lips down to mine.

This was our first kiss, and it was amazing. It was better than the first time Steve and I kissed. I realized that this was how it should be…but it was too late. I heard shouts as Steve, Gannen, and R.V. came out of the forest. I shoved Darren into the van and whirled around, sword in hand as I prepared to protect the ones I loved.

Steve was enraged. "What was _that_?" he snarled, jabbing his finger in the direction of the van that was speeding away. I glared at him. "Something that should have happened a long time ago." I snarled. His eyes widened. Then they were filled with rage. "Gannen, give me your sword." He snarled. Gannen hesitated. Gannen and I had gotten close in the past few months and I knew he was having difficulty making a decision.

"Give it to him, Gannen. I'm a Vampire Princess; I know what I'm doing." I said, my eyes still trained on Steve. Reluctantly, he gave it to him. As soon as Steve's fingers were wrapped around the sword, he charged. I swerved out of the way and slammed my sword into his.

I kicked him in the chest, temporarily stunning him, and flipped backwards, putting distance between us. "How could you?" he roared, charging at me again. "It was easy, you never cared! All you cared about was killing off my clan and that stupid Stone!" I shrieked, slicing his arm.

He ground his teeth together. "And where _is_ the Stone? Did you give it to that precious assistant?" he sneered. I grinned. "No, I gave it to that precious _Prince._" I spat. He froze. "WHAT! You blooded him? That…that weakling!" He screamed. I ground my teeth.

"He's a lot stronger than you! He gave up his life to save you!" I yelled, my blood boiling. _No one_ insulted Darren. "You're still spinning that lie? I know what happened! He went behind my back and stole what was rightfully mine in spite of me! He took the life I wanted… he took you!" he screamed, running at me. I was too slow though, this time he tackled me to the ground. I struggled to get up, but he only shoved me in the chest, leaving me breathless.

"I bet that's when it started, wasn't it? You two have been off together, all this time, behind my back!" he seethed. I glared at him. "For him, maybe. But I was in love with you! Maybe I always had feelings for Darren, it would make sense if I did, but I didn't realize that I loved him until the morning after we came back from Vampire Mountain!" I shouted.

He slapped me. "Don't talk like what I did was wrong! He was my best friend and he slept with my fiancé! Even after I was gracious enough to let him live!" he snarled. I kneed him in the chest and rolled over so that I was now pinning him to the ground.

"How many times must I tell you? Nothing happened! We slept together, yes, but in the literal sense! There was nothing sexual! We used to do it all the time before that stupid madman of a Vampaneze ruined everything!" I screamed. He stared at me.

"What Vampaneze are you talking about?" He yelled, pushing me off of him and standing up, glaring at me. I started shaking. "Murlough." I hissed between my teeth. Steve's eyes widened.

"You killed a Vampaneze? That was against the Treaty!" He yelled at me. "What do you care of the treaty? You had your men kill my cousin! And the only thing that I regret about that monster's death is that I wasn't the one to kill him!" I screamed.

He kicked me. "He deserved to die! He was a traitor!" he yelled. "No he wasn't!" I choked out. "He was trying to get the Stone of Blood so he could kill _you!_" I cried out, trying to ignore the throbbing in my side. I was sure that he'd broken something. I rolled up onto my stomach and looked up at him. "Why do _you_ need the Stone?" I asked demandingly.

He smirked. "Well, you see, _love,_" he sneered. "There's a vampire that has the ability to give birth." He said. I glared at him. "She's dead. She was killed in the battle." I said, my voice dead now. He grinned. "I know, that's what the battle was for. You see, Mr. Tiny said there were two, but one of them could only give birth to Vampires. We needed the second one, who could give birth to both races. But, the thing is, as long as the first one was alive, the second one couldn't use that ability." He smirked at me. My eyes widened.

Arra was killed on purpose…she was just a pawn in Mr. Tiny's game…just like me, just like everyone else. Steve picked his sword back up and walked over to me. "Mr. Tiny also said that I would be the one to kill you." He looked up at the sky. "Huh, Orion's belt. He said that's the constellation that would be in the sky when I killed you." He looked down at me, a horrible look on his face.

_I'm going to die…my time is up. I don't even get to say goodbye to Evra…Larten…Paris…Seba…Mr. Tall…I couldn't say goodbye to Darren. _I shuttered as Steve came closer, raising his sword. I closed my eyes and waited for the sword to pierce my flesh.

One minute…

Two minutes…

Ten minutes…

Finally, I looked up. Steve was staring at me and I knew at once that there was some part of him that still cared for me. He dropped the sword and yanked me to my feet. I stared at him, confused.

"Leave, before I change my mind." He said, shoving me off in the direction that the van went. I hesitated and then slightly bowed to the Lord of the Vampaneze.

"Thank you." I whispered. He snorted. "Don't be, because next time I won't care, and I will kill you." He growled. I nodded and walked towards him and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Goodbye, Steve Leonard. This is how I'll remember you, as the boy I first met…the boy who was crazy for Vampires and who taught me that people can never be replaced."

I played with the ring on my thumb. He looked down. "Keep it." He said.

I nodded and turned, walking away from what was left of my first love and towards the Prince I had only just begun to love.


	19. Chapter 19: Familiarity

When I woke up, I was immediately alarmed. I was in a pink bedroom, laying on a fairytale princess bed spread. I looked around me, my terror increasing when I realized that my sword was missing and that this was not where I had fallen asleep. I closed my eyes and pressed them with my fists, trying to remember what happened the night before.

I remember fighting Steve and walking away. I had been walking for a few hours when I saw a small town. First rule of survival was shelter, so I walked down the streets, looking for a hotel, when I saw a small cottage like house with low fences and a tree house in the backyard. I carefully walked closer to the house, checking for dogs, and hopped the fence when I didn't find any.

The yard was pretty. There were white rose bushes and a fountain in the center of the yard. Quickly and quietly, I made my way to the tree house and tossed up my sword before slowly climbing the ladder where I collapsed in the middle of the floor.

My eyes snapped open when I heard the click of a door knob. I watched a little girl who couldn't be more than four in a white nightgown came in, proudly carrying a tray with Sunny D, pop tarts, and pancakes. I stared as she came and walked over to the bed. She stood on a stool that had been placed to it and set the tray on my lap. She beamed at me.

"I made you breakfast! Daddy said you would probably be up by now, so me and Momma made it for you!" she said excitedly. I relaxed and smiled at the little girl. She had curly, blonde hair and dimples and happiness and innocence was evident in her bright green eyes…eyes that reminded me of where I need to be.

I noticed her smile falling and she pouted. "You don't like it?" she whimpered. I flushed and shook my head. "Oh, no! It looks delicious. MM!" I said as I took a bite of the pancake. She giggled and clapped her hands together. I smiled. "You know, I'm not all too hungry, want to help me eat this?" I asked, waving the bag of pop tarts in front of her she grinned and nodded, carefully climbing onto the bed. I opened the package and gave her one of the pop tarts.

I was halfway done with m y Sunny D when the little girl finally asked, "Are you a murderer?" I choked on my Sunny D, gagging as the liquid stung while it dripped down my air pipe. "Lilly! What did we tell you?" a male voice asked I looked up and saw a man wearing plaid pajama pants and a white t shirt leaning in the doorway. The little girl frowned and looked down guiltily. "Not to judge a book by its cover." She recited. The man, who I found rather familiar, nodded. "Now what do we say?" he said, raising an eyebrow at her. She looked at me. "I'm sorry miss."

I smiled. "It's okay." I looked around dramatically in a conspiratorial way. "And between you and me…" I began. She leaned in earnestly. I grinned. "I'm a warrior princess." I said with a wink. She giggled. "Lilly, your mother was calling you. It's time to get bathed." The man said, sipping his coffee. The little girl pouted and nodded. She waved at me. I waved back.

The man walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry about that. She was the one that found you this morning when looking for her kitten." He stared at me for a few moments. "She found you all bruised up with shredded and blood stained clothes. She almost cut herself with that sword of yours, thought it was a toy." He said, sipping his coffee. My eyes widened. "I am so sorry. I was looking for a place to stay for the night and I saw the tree house and thought it'd be okay, I was only going to sleep for maybe an hour or so before moving on…" I said hastily. He raised a brow.

"And the bruises and blood?" he asked me. I realized then that he wasn't talking to me like I was a kid. He was talking to me like…like an old friend. That's when it hit me. I gasped. "Tommy?" I cried. He nodded and put his coffee down. "So it is you. I saw you and I was shocked. It was you but, well there's no way. You look seventeen, I thought maybe you had a kid but, even then the years wouldn't match up." I nodded. "Yeah…well, it's me." I said uneasily.

"So what happened? Why'd you leave? We tried to get Steve to tell us, but he wouldn't say anything. He got mad and started saying all this weird stuff about you and Darren running off together and that he wasn't dead." He explained. I bit my lip. Tommy's eyes widened.

"You've got to be kidding me…" He whispered. I looked down, trying to think of a lie. "Here's the thing…Darren and I…we contracted a disease that makes us age slowly, which would make us live longer. It was extremely contagious so we did what we had to. He faked his death and we left." I lied, sticking as close to the truth as I could.

He nodded slowly. "Oh…I see." He had a sudden look of alarm. "Oh my god, is it still contagious? Lilly…" he trailed off, fear in his eyes. I shook my head. "No, we found a natural remedy that keeps it from being contagious." I lied again. He sighed in relief. "Okay, so where's Darren?" My heart clenched. "We got split up." I said quietly, looked at my hands and the pink scar on my palm. Tommy followed my eyes.

"Vanessa…what happened to you? When my wife was getting you into clean clothes she noticed…things." He finished lamely, but I knew what he was talking about. The multiple bruises, cuts, scars, and even a few burn marks that were hidden beneath my clothes. I looked down. I couldn't tell him, it might put him in danger…

He laid a hand on mine. "Vanessa, Darren…Darren doesn't abuse you does he? Because you're welcome to stay here if you need protection." He said sternly. I stared at him. "Do you really think Darren would do that?" I gasped. Tommy shook his head. "No, but he's the only person that I know you've been in contact with." He said. I nodded. "Well, no, it wasn't Darren…" I absentmindedly played with the thin silver ring on my thumb. Tommy, who recognized it, gasped.

I looked at him. "Tommy—" I began, but then a woman came to the bedroom door, who I assumed was Tommy's wife. Lilly was a spitting image of her. "Tommy, someone's here to talk to you…" she said uneasily. He looked at her. "Can you tell them to come back later? This is Vanessa's kid." He said, nodding his head to me. She shook her head. "He said that it's important that he speaks with you now…" she trailed off. Tommy sighed. Who is it, Laura?" he asked warily. She hesitated and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"It's Steve."


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow, so you guys have really inspired me to write more often. It seems that everytime I update, I get like a thousands emails notifying me that people are adding my story to their favorites, their Story Alerts, and Author Alerts and I can't tell you how much it means to me (: I thank all of you have have been with me since the beginning, waiting patiently through my irregular updates, and for my newer readers who leave the sweetest reviews for me. I don't think I would've have gotten this far into my story if it weren't for yall's reiews. I have a bad habit of starting other fics when I'm in the middle of one, and the first one gets abandoned. But I'm gonna ride this one to the end, I'm guessing this will have 30-35 cahppies total, and I have a few ideas as to how this story will end, and theres about three options, one of them leading to a sequel ;) so, we'll see how things go! :) Thanks for reading everyone! -Keni**

Silence. That's all that was heard. Tommy looked scared. "St-Steve?" He stuttered. "What's Steve doing here? He said he'd meet me at the lab when he needed his…fix." He finished lamely, looking warily at me. Laura started sniffling, trying to keep from crying. "He…he said he needed something fresh." She cried, falling to the floor, sobbing. Tommy's eyes widened. "Oh no…Lilly and Brandon." He whispered, fear causing his voice to crack. I stood up from the bed and stared at the two.

Tommy looked at me. "Vanessa…its best that you hide, Steve is…different now." He said. I shook my head and began to pop my knuckles and crack my neck. "Yeah, Tommy, I know. I guess it was Destiny that brought me to your tree house last night. Don't worry; I won't let him hurt your kids." I said. Tommy stood and shook his head. "No, Vanessa. I'm a grown man and it's my duty to protect my family." He said.

Laura stared at me, shocked. I was confused until I noticed a detail that Tommy dropped. "Vanessa?" She whispered. I bit my lip and nodded. Her eyes widened before narrowing into slits. "You know, Steve still looks the same…I bet you're one of them, aren't you?" she hissed, her voice reaching the point of hysteria. I snorted.

"Laura, I can tell you know that those bruises and painful inflictions on my body weren't caused by me. And no, I'm nothing like him." I looked down at myself. I was wearing pink pajama pants and a baby blue v neck tee shirt. I stared at Laura. "Laura, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to raid your closet." I said. She hesitated and then nodded helplessly.

"Down the hall and to the left." She whispered. I looked at Tommy and nodded. He sighed and reluctantly nodded. "I want the truth, Vanessa." He whispered as he took his wife in his arms. I nodded and dashed to their bedroom where I found Laura's closet. It was summer so I decided on a pair of cut offs and a white tank top. I looked around some more, finding my sword at the back of her closet. I heard a small gasp.

I whirled around to find Lilly staring at me with a little boy who looked around seven years old staring at me as well. He looked just like Tommy. _This must be Brandon…_ "Are you going to protect us?" Lilly breathed. Brandon frowned and shook his head. "No, Lilly, Daddy will. She can't help us." He said quietly. Lilly shook her head. "No! She's a warrior princess! She told me so!" she said, tears welling up in her eyes. She ran over and threw herself onto me. "Don't let the bad man take Momma and Daddy!" she cried.

I looked down at this girl for a long time before patting her head. "I won't, Lilly. I'll make sure the bad man go away." I promised. She sniffled. I took her hand and looked at Brandon. "Brandon, I want you and Lilly to go hide in your parent's bathtub, okay? Don't come out until I say its okay." I said. He nodded and took his sister, doing as he was told.

I froze when I heard voices. "Hey, Tommy. What took you so long?" Steve asked. I heard a cushion squeak. "I sent my daughter to back to bed…she gets nervous around you and it's hard to do business with kids around, you know?" he laughed nervously. I heard the cushion squeak again and footsteps. "You're lying, Tommy. You were never good at it. Now what are you hiding?" I heard footsteps nearing the hall. My eyes widened. Tommy could get hurt if Steve found out he was lying.

I dashed into Lilly's room and Changed into Lilly, pushing my sword under the bed. Hurriedly, I crawled into her bed, faking asleep. I had just gotten my breathing back under control when the door opened and Steve came in. He came walking around the bed so that he was facing me. I heard him crouch down and it took everything I had not to flinch when he started running his fingers over my cheek. "Such a pretty girl…"He murmured. He leaned in and took a deep sniff. He sighed. "And her blood…so good…so pure…fresh." I could practically see the smirk on his face.

"Steve, your business is with me. Leave my daughter out of this." Tommy said, his voice strong. Steve laughed and stood up. "Okay, but what about that son of yours? I've had my eye on that one for a while, he'd make a good snack…or a good Vampaneze." He mused. My body tensed. _Why would Steve reveal his inhuman presence to a human? And why would he want to turn a child?_

"Steve, stay away from him. Stay away from my family; this is between you and me." Tommy said angrily. I heard a shuffle and a thud as Steve no doubt slammed Tommy against the wall. I heard Laura gasp. Steve laughed. "And what will you do to stop me? You're pitiful Tommy. What can an insignificant human do to me, the Lord of Vampaneze?" he cackled.

Using my vampire speed, I jumped out of Lilly's bed, Changed back into myself, grabbed my sword, and pressed the tip against the back of Steve's neck. I heard gasps. "I don't know, Steve. But I know what a Vampire Princess could do." I said. He slowly turned his head, his eyes widening in shock and anger when he saw me. "You." He snarled. I glared at him.

"Let Tommy go, now." Steve instead gripped Tommy's neck tighter, making his face turn blue. I stared at Steve calmly. "Steve, I can't tell you how easily I could slice your pathetic head off right now." I pressed the weapon tighter against his neck, drawing blood. "It'd be so easy…like cutting tissue paper really." I said in a bored tone as I watched the blood drip down his muscled and defined neck.

He slowly let Tommy go, who fell to the ground gasping for air. Laura darted from the door to her husband and held him tightly. "Tommy, go get Lilly and Brandon and run. I'll find you four later." I instructed. He hesitated and then nodded. He got up and soon later, I heard the back door open and close as the four left.

By now, Steve had turned around to where my sword was now pointing at his jugular. He stared at me for a long time then smirked. "Oh, baby. I'm digging the cutoffs." He said, smirking at me. I continued to glare. "What are you doing here Steve?" I demanded, ignoring his commentary. He frowned. "I could say the same for you. I thought I told you to scram." He growled. "I did. I had to rest at some point and found their tree house." I said, nodding my head in the direction of the backyard.

"Now, what do you want with Tommy?" I pressed. He shrugged. "Blood, what else?" he smirked. I glared at him. "I don't believe that. You wouldn't have been toying with him if it was just blood. He acted like he sees you often." I said. He glared at me. "And why should I tell you? You _are_ a filthy vampire." He spat.

I slid the sword so the edge of it was now pressed to his neck. "Oh, because," I began. I used my free hand and slowly unzipped his black leather jacket to reveal his bare chest. I dragged one of my super sharp nails down his chest, drawing blood. I felt his chest muscles tighten as he hissed in pain. I stood on my tippy toes and whispered in his ear. "I have the upper hand, don't you see? I have the weapon, a satisfied hunger for blood, and you're here alone…aren't you Steve?" I said. He glared at me.

"He's a scientist and I have him doing personal research for me." He said, his voice tight. I sighed and pushed the jacket off his shoulders and continued to draw lines with his blood across his upper chest, shoulders, and shoulder blades. "Oh, Steve, there must be more than that." I whispered, jabbing him in the side with my nail. He gasped and ground his teeth together.

"It's about that vampire…who can give birth. I've been giving him DNA samples of female vampires for him to look at." He gasped. I frowned. "And what did you find?" I asked. Steve laughed. "I'm not telling you anything else." He sneered. I stared at him, and then smirked. He looked confused. "That's okay. I'll just take you to where I'm going. I'm sure that my friends will have other ways of convincing you to talk with us." I said. He snorted.

"Good luck with that, the only way you're going to get me to go anywhere with you is if…" he trailed off, his eyes widening. "If you're unconscious?" I finished for him before using my knock out breath. He groaned and fell to the floor. I sighed and stuck my sword through one of my belt loops. I searched the house until I found rope and duct tape. First I bound Steve's hands with the duct tape, and then went over it with the rope, just to be safe.

I dragged him down the hall towards the backdoor and sighed. Tommy's scent was fading, which meant I had to start on the trail fast. I looked down at the man who was bound and sighed. "Guess I better head out." I muttered as I threw him over my shoulder and left the house, looking for my former friend.


	21. Chapter 21

**Ah! Sorry my dear readers for not updating sooner! I've been stuck between two points…this chapter being the in between point. But I hope it will be worth the wait (: Enjoy! Review if it's worth it ;)**

"Can you please stop dragging me?" a groggy and annoyed voice sounded. I looked down behind me and saw Steve looking at me, sleepiness not quite out of his features yet. I rolled my eyes and continued on, dragging him across the field we were in. "Excuse me? I'm talking to you!" he snapped. I sighed. "Steve, I carried you for a full day, without stop. You can deal with this." I replied, looking up at the setting sun.

He sighed. "I cannot believe I'm saying this, but Vanessa, stop. Right now." He demanded. "No." I said immediately. "Vanessa, you're going to get tired, and then you're going to die from exhaustion and lack of blood, you need to stop and rest." He said. I shook my head. "What I _really_ need to do is keep following this trail so I can find Tommy. And I'm not too worried about blood." I looked down at him through the corner of my eyes. "I can't say the same for you." I snorted.

He glared at me and stayed silence. We were right in the middle of the field where there was a clearing, and that's when the scent trail ended, becoming extremely stronger. I looked around, confused. They couldn't have vanished from thin air, could they? Steve started sniffing the air too, and then he stiffened before laughing loudly, like a maniac. I pulled Steve to his feet, now aware of the strong smell of the Vampaneze, and pressed my sword flush against his throat.

"Come out where I can see you! Make one wrong move, and your Lord is dead!" I called out. I heard rustling and saw purple men emerge from the tall grasses and into the clearing, some of them dragging Tommy, Laura, Brandon, and Lily with them. I felt my eyes widened in fear. Gannen came out last, a look of sympathy on his face. I stared at him.

"Gannen, what's going on?" I asked. "Let Tommy and his family go, this is between the clans, humans have no need to be part of this." I said, trying to be regal like Paris Skyle. Gannen shook his head slowly. "We wish to make an exchange." He said gently. I stared at him. "Steve for Tommy and his family?" I asked. Gannen looked at me with more sympathy. "No, Vanessa. Steve for one human." He said quietly. I stared at him, gaping. "Are you kidding me? He's your Lord! Doesn't he mean more to you than just one person?" I gasped, taking a step back.

The unoccupied Vampaneze troops raised their weapons, ready to fight if I tried to run. Gannen shook his head. "Vanessa, we have to eat." He said, staring hard at me. I started shaking. This wasn't fair! This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to find them, and then take them to the Cirque where Mr. Tall could protect them! This does _not_ fit in the plan. Steve laughed.

"What's wrong, Vanessa? You seem a little shaky." He sneered. I pressed the sword tighter against his throat, drawing a little bit of blood. "You're not in a position to make jokes, Leonard." I hissed into his ear. He lapped into silence then. I looked at Tommy, uncaring of the tears that were coming to my eyes. Three people were going to die because I couldn't save them. "Tommy." I whispered, my voice shaking.

Despite all that he had heard, he seemed tired and calm, but I could nearly feel the deep sadness he had within his soul. "Vanessa, it's okay. Just take Lily, please." He whispered. I stared at him, shocked. "Tommy, how can you play favorites in this situation?" I cried out. He stared at me, hard. "Vanessa, its Laura and mine's job to protect our children, and Lily is the only one they will hurt." He said. I stared at him, confused. I looked at Brandon and it registered then… Brandon wasn't being held against his will. I fought the bile rising in my throat as I realized what they had done.

"He's just a boy." I whispered, my voice hoarse. Gannen looked at his feet, before returning his gaze to mine. "It was done at our Lord's request." He said. I dropped my sword then. Steve really meant what he said about blooding him… I walked out and in front of a wobbling Steve so that we were face to face. I started shaking like crazy, out of anger. "You fucking bastard!" I screamed as I pulled back my fist and punched him in the face, sending him flying a few feet. I jumped onto him and started wailing away on his chest.

"How can you live with yourself? He's just a boy!" I cried out, tears streaking my face. He ripped free of the ropes and duct tape and rolled over so that he was on top of me, holding my wrists next to my head as I continued to release a stream of profanity. He was silent until I burst into tears. The look on his face made me cry even harder, he looked so vulnerable and like the Steve I used to know.

"Vanessa, you don't understand—" he began, before he was cut off by the look on my face. "I don't understand your reasons, and I never will. But I hope you know that you just ruined that beautiful boy's life. Do you know what it's like? Being a Vampire or a Vampaneze as a child?" I whispered. He frowned down at me. I really don't think that your experience counts here." He snorted. I glared at him.

"Yes, I had an almost normal childhood. I could walk outside, I aged like a normal person…but I still drank blood, I still had to fight, to prove myself to the clan. I had to endure years of training, all starting when I was five. My life was _hell_, Steve. Now with that said, imagine what you just did to Brandon, the son of one of your best friends." I said quietly.

He lapsed into silence at this and stood up, pulling me to my feet. He walked over to the Vampaneze that had Lily and stooped down to her level, whispering to her. He told the Vampaneze to let her go and he picked her up, turned around, and carried her to me. He gently laid her in my arms and stared at her for a long while.

"She's beautiful." He said quietly. I nodded silently. He then looked at me. "Vanessa, I had no idea…" he trailed off. I stared numbly at him. "I know you didn't. You've been pampered by the Vampaneze. Have you even started your real training?" I asked him. He raised a brow. "The customs? The fighting styles?" I pressed. He shook his head slowly. "I know some of the customs." He whispered. I nodded. "Learn them." I said, then bended over to pick up my sword and push it into my belt loop. I stared at Tommy and Laura, sadness seeping into my bones.

"I'm sorry…this is my entire fault." I whispered. Laura spoke to me this time. "It would have happened sooner or later. But you've saved us, Vanessa. Without you, Lily wouldn't be safe." She whispered. I nodded weakly and looked down at Lily, who was staring at me with large eyes. As I stared into her eyes, I realized that I was all she had left. I pulled her closer to me and looked back at Tommy and Laura.

"I'll protect her, no matter the costs." I whispered, giving them the sign of the Vampires. Tommy and Laura seemed confused. "Even in death may you be triumphant." Gannen whispered. I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. I turned and began walking away, Lily screaming and crying in my arms. "Mommy! Daddy! Brandon!" she screamed. I held her tighter. "I'm so sorry, Lily." I whispered. She cried. "You were supposed to save us!" she wailed. I started shaking again. "I know, I know I was. But Lily, I swear on the honor of the Vampire clan, I won't let any harm come to you." I said. she nodded wordlessly.

"Close your eyes, Lily." I whispered. She closed them and buried her face into my shoulder. I felt a tickling in my mind and heard Mr. Tall's voice in my head. _Go north a hundred miles, and fifty miles east. I will be expecting you home by breakfast._ He said. I nodded and started to flit away, off towards the Cirque.

**Hours Later at Sunrise…**

I stopped a little ways from the camp and walked, just as if I were traveling with Mr. Crepsley and Darren. I could hear the rustle and bustle of the camp inside. I smiled and shook Lily, who had fallen asleep. "Lily, wake up. We're here." I whispered. She yawned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Where are we?" she asked quietly. I smiled. "We're at the Cirque du Freak, baby." I said.

I set her down on her feet and she took my hand, keeping close to my side as we walked into camp. By then, everyone was around the morning breakfast fire. I grinned. "I hope you guys saved some for me!" I called out. Everyone turned and broke into cheers and grins. "Vanessa!" Evra shouted. He jumped to his feet and ran towards me, picking me up in a swirly hug. I laughed. "Evra, my beloved Bubba!" I giggled as he set me down. I looked down at Lily, who was gaping at Evra.

"Who's the kid?" Cormac Limbs asked, taking a bite of sausage. Everyone turned their attention, who squeaked and hid behind my legs. "I turned around and squatted down in front of her. "It's okay, Lily. These are good people. They won't hurt you, they're like my family." I told her she looked at me too. "Are you their auntie too?" she asked. I froze, and stared at her. She just called me auntie. I shook my head slowly. "No, they're my aunties and uncles." I smiled at her. She nodded and took my hand.

I turned to the Cirque members. "This is Lily Jones." I told them. Hans Hands raised a brow. "Well, what's she doing here? We haven't had a kid that young here since you and Larten came to us." He said. "That is a matter for another time, Hans." A voice said from behind me. Lily turned and her eyes widened as she gaped at the tallest man she had ever seen. I smiled and turned to Mr. Tall, grinning. He stared at me.

"Welcome back, Vanessa. I have placed a bed in your trailer for Miss Jones and yourself." He said. I smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Tall." Evra walked up to Lily and smiled. "Hi, Lily. I'm Evra Von." He said gently she stared at him for a long time before saying, "Von what?" he smiled. "Just plain Von." He said. she giggled. He held out a scaly hand. "Are you hungry Lily? We can get some breakfast; we're having, bacon, egg, and sausage." She nodded and took his hand. I looked after her as Evra took her to the campfire, introducing her to the rest of the Cirque.

"I take it that Darren isn't here?" I said quietly. Mr. Tall nodded. "I already sent him off." He said. I sighed. He smiled a little and put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't fret, Vanessa. All will be fine…for now." He said with a sigh. I nodded. "I know, I'm just worried about Lily." I muttered. He smiled. "She will be fine." He leaned over and whispered into my ear. "She will be a great vampire." He said. I stared at him. "Surely not now." I said, shocked. He shook his head. "No, in the future, once she is ready." He said. I nodded and we lapsed into silence, thinking of the future and what would happen.


	22. Chapter 22: Return

**So, I felt like updating again, so I did :D aaaand, I would like to let y'all know that I have finally decided what path to take with this story and that I will write a Sequel to the Vampire Game! :D eek! So excited (: Well, hope you Enjoy! (:**

Lily had begun to adjust to the Cirque in a matter of days, and by a couple of months was truly a member of the family. She seemed to be a smart girl and had a real talent with animals, including the Wolf-man. The more time I spent with her, the more she grew on me and the need to protect her grew stronger, as though she were my own child.

"So, what happened to her, Van?" Evra asked me. The new location that the Cirque arrived to had a clear pond nearby so Evra and I took Lily out for a swim. We were sitting on the grassy bank, watching her splash around and chasing after ducks.

"Steve happened." I muttered. Evra looked at me. "What? What do you mean Steve happened?" I sighed and started my story. "Well, after you and Cormac took Darren, I fought with Steve and he let me go. I was losing blood fast and didn't have any cash on me so I went looking for a tree house to stay at. The tree house I found happened to be hers and she found me and when I woke up, I was in her bedroom." I smiled weakly at the memory.

"She had brought me breakfast and then her dad came in…" I trailed off. "What happened with her dad? Was he a bad guy or something?" Evra asked me. I shook my head. "No, quite the opposite. He was an old friend of Darren and me, Tommy Jones." I explained. Evra raised a brow. "Was?" I nodded. "Steve came and tried to get information from him, so I took Steve captive and Told Tommy to take his family and leave, that I'd meet up with them later." I took in a ragged breath.

"I was too late, Evra. A group of Vampaneze got to them first and I…I had to trade a life for a life; Steve for Lily." I whispered hoarsely. I looked up at Evra, whose eyes were filled with shock and sympathy. "That's not even the worst part…she has a brother, Brandon. He can't be more than eight or nine…and they blooded him." I finished. Evra remained silent and then pulled me into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Vanessa. I know how much you wish that boy didn't get this card dealt for him." He said, patting my hair. I nodded and pulled away when I heard footsteps coming from behind us. "Hey guys." A feminine voice said. I looked up to see Evra's new wife, Merla. I smiled weakly. He had grown up so fast, had his first baby on the way, while I was stuck in the body of a sixteen year old.

"Hello, Merla." I greeted kindly. She carefully sat down next to Evra and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Playing with Lily I see." She smiled. I nodded. "Yeah, she wanted to go swimming, and how could I say no? She's been working so hard." I said, looking back at her. Just then, she stepped out of the pond, shivering.

"Can we go home now, momma?" she asked. I froze and Evra looked at me worriedly. She just called me her momma. I smiled weakly; it didn't bug me like I thought it would. In fact, I had already begun to treat her as my daughter. I stood up, brushing off the blades of grass from my shorts and walked towards Lily.

"Yeah, baby. Let's go." I picked her up and let her sit on my shoulders. "Besides, I've got to talk to your Uncle Tall." I told her. She nodded and waved at Evra and Merla. "Bye Uncle Evra! Bye Auntie Merla!" she giggled. They smiled and waved at her in return and then turned to each other and spoke softly to one another. I felt a pang of jealousy at this. While Evra could be with the one he loved, I hadn't even seen the one I loved in months. I hadn't even had any word from him, or my mentor.

I went straight to Truska's trailer and knocked before entering. "Hey, Truska? Can you watch Lily for me? I need to talk to Mr. Tall about some stuff." I asked her as I set Lily down on a chair and grabbed her a towel from the towel cabinet. Truska came from behind her wardrobe and smiled at me. I looked at her and her red-sequin dress glory. "Looking good, babe." I said, giving her a wink she smiled bigger and rolled her eyes.

"So is that cool? I swear it won't be more than fifteen minutes." She nodded and shooed me out the door, gaining a giggle from Lily. "I'll be right back, Lily. Okay?" I said, before walking out the door. She nodded and waved at me. "Bye momma!" she said. I smiled and left, then walked towards the center of camp where Mr. Tall's trailer would be. I hadn't even raised my hand to knock when I heard a voice from within. "You may come in, Vanessa. I have been waiting for you." I pushed open the door and looked around at the familiar office full of his trinkets that he would invent for the show. I smiled and plopped down on the small couch he had in the trailer near his desk.

"I assume you know why I'm here then?" I said, looking at him. He nodded. "Yes, yes I do. You wish to return to Vampire Mountain, correct?" he asked me, his large dark eyes boring into mine. I nodded. "Yes, sir." I said, smiling. He nodded. "You could have left whenever you wanted to, Vanessa. What is holding you back?" he asked. I hesitated. "It's Lily." I said, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"I couldn't bear leaving her here; I just love the little tyke so much. But…I don't think I can take her with me. What if she gets hurt on the trek to the Mountain? What if she gets killed?" I ranted. Mr. Tall chuckled slightly and I turned to see that he was smiling and was now sitting at my feet on the couch instead of behind his desk. I raised a brow at him.

"Vanessa, you remind me of a man that has come to be a good friend of mine." He said. "How so?" I asked curiously. "Well, he had a similar situation. He had a child here with him at the Cirque and was going to leave to make it to Council, but he was fearful of leaving the child behind…and of taking the child with him." I smiled softly. "And what did he do?" I asked.

"He took the child with him, and that child turned out to be one of the greatest Vampires in history." He said, smiling fondly at me. I smiled. "So…I should take Lily then? Just like Larten took me?" I asked. He nodded. "We are not too far from Vampire Mountain right now, so I suggest that you leave tonight." He said. I nodded and stood up. I looked up at him and smiled before giving him a huge hug. "Thanks, Mr. T." I said. He gave me a squeeze in return. I pulled away and smiled.

"I'll check in with you before I go." I said. He nodded and went back to his desk where he continued with whatever work he was doing.

"Bye, Lily! Be careful, and don't talk to strangers." Evra said, giving Lily a hug. Leaving was always the worst part of traveling, that's when you had to say good bye. Evra straightened up and smiled at me, holding out his arms. I smiled and fell into the embrace of my best friend. "I'm going to miss you." I told him. He nodded. "I'll miss you, too." He pulled away and grinned. "Tell Darren and Crepsley that we all said hello, and that their coffin and hammock is here if they ever need them." Evra said. I nodded and took Lily's hand. "Ready, baby?"I asked her. She nodded. I picked her up and began our journey to Vampire Mountain.

**Two months later**

"Momma…I'm scared." Lily said as we gazed up at Vampire Mountain. I squeezed her tiny hand. "Don't be, you're safe here." I told her as I gazed lovingly at my home. I bent over and let her hop onto my back. "Are you holding on tight?" I asked her. "Yes, momma." She said. I nodded and began scaling the Mountain slowly, making sure I wouldn't put Lily in any danger. "Momma? Will you sing for me?" she whispered. I smiled weakly and began singing a song for her as I climbed up the Mountain.

We reached a cavern where the entrance to Vampire Mountain was. I stopped singing and walked towards the gates. "Who goes there?" One of the guards asked. "Vanessa, Vampire Princess, and Lily." I said. "The Council recognizes Vanessa, Vampire Princess. The Council does not recognize Lily." The guard said. I glared at the man. "Vanessa, Vampire Princess recognizes Lily." I said harshly. The man blinked and flushed. "Yes ma'am. The Council recognizes Lily, you may proceed." He said. I smiled. "Thank you." I said, and walked into the Mountain.

I set Lily on the ground and took her small hand in mine. She stuck close to my side as passing Vampires gawked at us. I could feel her fear and started singing the song to her. She seemed to relax as we walked up through the Mountain and towards the Hall of Princes. When we got there, I leaned over and got to eye level with Lily.

"Okay, Lily. You're about to meet the Vampire Princes now. You have to be on your best behavior, okay?" I told her as I smoothed down her frizzy hair. She nodded silently and I opened the doors, letting them close quietly behind us so I wouldn't alert anyone of our presence just yet.

"But Paris, would that not be the wise thing to do? If we send out small search parties, we can find the Vampaneze Lord and kill him. It's a win-win situation; we end the war, can be at peace with the Vampaneze clan, and we will get the Princess back." A general said.

"Yes, but the whole point for Vanessa being with the Vampaneze Lord, Liam, is an act of diplomacy." Mika said warily. "I think we should give it a shot." A younger voice said. I looked towards my throne to see Darren sitting on the floor in front of it, Larten standing behind it. Darren looked different now. He somehow looked older, maybe from the new scars.

The Vampire General, Liam, looked to Darren. "Yes, thank you. Sire Paris, there are other ways of diplomacy than letting that abomination live." Paris rubbed his temples. I frowned, he looked so tired…so weak. I squeezed Lily's hand and began walking down the aisles between the two seating areas as the Princes and Liam argued back and forth and the Vampire Generals spoke amongst themselves.

As I passed by the rows, the Generals stopped speaking and by the time I got to the front row, everyone was silent except for the Princes and Liam, none of which had yet noticed me. "Paris, my dear, how long has it been since you've had anything to drink?" I asked. They stopped talked as they stared and gaped at me. "Vanessa." I looked over to see that Darren was standing up, staring at me.

Suddenly the room burst with chatter, all about me and my traveling counterpart and Liam started speaking even more fervently to Paris about the need to attack the Vampaneze. Darren walked closer to me and stood not two inches away from me. With shaking hands, he cupped my face.

"You're here…you're safe." He whispered. I nodded. "Yeah, so are you." I whispered. He examined my face. "How long has it been since you drank blood?" he asked me. I felt Lily stiffen beside me. I looked down at her to see her staring up at me, confused."Why did he ask if you drank any blood, momma?" she asked.

The room immediately fell silent because of one word. One little word.

_Momma._

Darren looked at me, horrified. "You…you and Steve?" he asked, shocked. My eyes widened. "What? Darren no! I swear!" I gasped. He shook his head and started walking away. Larten was immediately by my side. "Vanessa, who does this child belong to?" he asked. I didn't answer him though. Instead, I picked up Lily, placed her in Larten's arms and raced after Darren.

I stopped running when I had gotten to the middle of the aisle, where Darren had reached the door. "Darren, stop!" I shouted. He stopped and turned slowly, looking betrayed. I wouldn't blame him, either. He knew Steve and I had a history, including a physical one. But I loved him now, him and him alone.

Slowly, I began walking towards him until I stood right in front of him. "That's not Steve's kid." I whispered. "But it is yours?" he asked. I bit my lip. "Darren, it's complicated." I said quietly. He glared at me. "Who are her parents?" he demanded. I looked at him. "Yes, I am her mother, but…I'm her adoptive mother." I said quietly so Lily wouldn't hear. Darren stared at me, confused.

Tears sprung to my eyes. He looked at me shocked. "Vanessa? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked me worriedly, taking hold of my face. "That's Tommy's kid, Darren." I whispered. His eyes widened. I bit my lip and looked down. "I had to make a trade…" I whispered. I looked back up at him. "I had to trade her for Steve; I couldn't just let her die like Tommy—"

"Tommy is dead?" he asked. I nodded. "So is his wife, Laura, and her brother Brandon…oh dear god." I sniffled. He stared at me. "What happened to her brother?" he asked me softly. I turned and looked at my mentor when I said this. "Her nine year old brother has been blooded as a Vampaneze." I said. Larten's mouth fell open slightly.

He knew what pain that caused me. Lilly wriggled in his arms so that she could see me. "Momma? Momma! Momma, why are you crying?" she cried out. I flitted to my mentor's side and took Lily from his arms as she started crying.

"So…this Lily, she is human?" Arrow asked. I hesitated and nodded. "Yes, she is." I said. "And is she your assistant?" Paris asked. I looked down at Lily and then to Paris. "No, she is not. She is too young and right now, she will be Lily, my child. But if Vampirism is a path she chooses to take, then I shall mentor her." I answered. Paris nodded and looked at the Generals. "Please, everyone leave. Mika, Arrow and I have a grave matter to discuss." He said. I stared at him, confused. "You do not need my help, Paris?" I asked. He shook his head. "Nor do we need Darren and Larten's. You three would be emotionally biased on the subject matter." He said. I nodded slowly.

"Yes, Sire." I said before bowing and walking out the doors, towards the room I used to share with my cousin what felt like a long time ago.


	23. Chapter 23

"I didn't know you sing." I looked up from the hammock that I was rocking Lily to sleep in and up to the doorway of my quarters where Darren was leaning. I smiled weakly. "I usually don't." I murmured. I stood up slowly to make sure I wouldn't awaken Lily and walked over to Darren. He stared at me and frowned. "How long has it been since you've fed?" he asked me. I sighed and rubbed my temples, looking at Lily.

"Not since we left the Cirque. No one would be able to watch her while I went to feed." I sighed. He frowned. "Oh…well, I, um…" he blushed lightly and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know, want to go get a drink?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I haven't talked to you in a long time." I said. He grinned and led me to the hall where the food was kept and served.

Darren told me to get take a seat as he went to get us mugs of blood and bowls of bat broth. I smiled as he placed the warm food in front of me. "Thank you." I smiled. He waved it away with his hand. "So…how have you been?" He asked me. I smiled. "Pretty good, I guess." I said before taking a sip of blood. Darren leaned over the table so that he was closer to me.

"Vanessa, it's me. You don't have to put up any walls around me and pretend everything's okay." He said quietly. I bit my lip and looked down at my broth, my fists clenching and unclenching on the table. I watched rippled form in the broth as my eyes released tears that rolled down and fell from my cheeks.

"I couldn't save them, Darren. I couldn't save them and Brandon…he's…" I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. "Vanessa…there was nothing you could do. How were you supposed to know that Gannen would be laying in wait for you? Hey, look at me." He said quietly, taking my hands. I looked up at him, sniffling. "You did what you could and you saved Lily." He said. I nodded.

"I just wish I could have saved them all…" I whispered hoarsely. "I couldn't save any of them." I said, squeezing my eyes shut. "Vanessa, you cannot save everyone, and it is okay. No one expects you too." A soft voice from behind me said. My eyes snapped open. "I couldn't even save my own flesh and blood." I said, turning to look Mr. Crepsley in the eyes. I could see the hurt flash in his eyes. I bit my lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…" I trailed off. He shook his head. "It is okay, I know how upset you are." He said.

I nodded. "Is Seba still around?" I asked, changing the subject. Mr. Crepsley nodded. "Yes, you can go to him later on. Now, you must finish your food and drink then rest." He said. I frowned. "I can't, what if they make a decision on Lily and I'm not awake and they take her away from me?" I asked, my voice raising an octave.

"I'll go with you and watch her while you sleep, I'll wake you once they make a decision." Darren said. I smiled at him and nodded. "Okay." I said quietly. He smiled. "Cool, now drink that." He said, pointing at my mug. I rolled my eyes and did as instructed. Mr. Crepsley raised a brow at us. "Did something happen between you two?" he asked. I laughed softly. "Oh, not at all, Larten." I said with a smile. He smiled back.

I stayed for a long while, talking to my mentor about what had been going on while I was gone, and what had happened to me and what had happened with Darren. "Oh, you met Vancha?" I asked him. He nodded. "He really does have a striking resemblance to Gannen." He said. I nodded. "That he does." I yawned. Mr. Crepsley chuckled. "Vanessa, you need to get some sleep. You have not slept in days, go rest." He said before standing up. Darren and I stood as well and the three of us walked to the doorway together. Larten hesitated and then pulled me into a tight hug. I hugged him back, enjoying the embrace. He kissed the top of my head and whispered in my ear. "Goodnight, my dear." He then gave me one last squeeze and walked in the opposite direction, off to Seba's quarters no doubt. The walk back to my room was a long one, long enough for Darren and me to carry out a decent conversation.

"So…my dear?" Darren asked, raising a brow at me. I rolled my eyes. "Yes, that's what he always called me until you came along." I yawned. He frowned. "Oh." He said. I looked at him. "What?" I asked. He frowned. "Did I ruin something? Were you two…?" he trailed off. My eyes widened. "Oh dear god, no. Darren, Steve was my first everything." I said. he didn't seem to happy about that comment either. "I'm sorry…. I keep messing everything up." I muttered as we came to the doorway of my room. He shook his head. "It's fine, it's in the past and what has happened, happened." He said. I nodded and looked into the room, watching Lily's deep breathing as she lay asleep in my hammock.

"This must have been what my mother felt like when I was first discovered." I muttered. Darren looked at me. "Discovered you?" he repeated. I nodded. "Yeah, I had been living here in Vampire Mountain for five years secretly until I was discovered." I said. "What happened then?" He asked me. I sighed. "I was almost executed." I said quietly. I saw Darren stiffen. "What?" Why would they do that?" he gasped. I shrugged. "I'm unnatural; they didn't know what to do with me. I'm a morphling, a bender, and a full blooded vampire. I could bring destruction down on the clan with a snap of my fingers." I said quietly.

"Don't say that." Darren said. I looked into his eyes. "It's true. But, luckily, Larten came for me." I said, smiling to myself. "I remember the first few months. God, I don't know how he put up with me." I chuckled. Darren smiled. "You grow on people." He said. I rolled my eyes and yawned again. "I'm sorry, I'm keeping you up." He said gently. I shook my head. "It's fine. I think I'll go to sleep now though." I muttered. He nodded. I hesitated and bit my lip.

"I…um…you can come join me if you'd like." I said, blushing. Darren's face heated up as he nodded and followed me into my room. I pulled off my cut offs and looked up at Darren. "Does this bother you?" I asked. He stared and shook his head. "No, it doesn't." he said quietly. I nodded and turned to open my coffin as Darren took off his shirt. He climbed in before me and pulled me in, holding me close.

"Wow." I whispered. "Hm?" he asked and he rubbed my shoulder with his thumb in a circular motion. "This is what I've been missing out on all these years." I said. He laughed softly. "Better late than never." He said. I nodded and yawned. "Goodnight, Darren." I whispered. "Goodnight, love." He replied. I smiled and I knew then that that was how I would awake; smiling and in the arms of the one I love.


	24. Chapter 24

I awoke to find the eyes of the raven prince, Mika Ver Leth, staring at me uneasily. I yawned and smiled softly. "Good morning, Mika." I whispered, noticing that Lily was still asleep. He raised a brow at me as Darren stirred from his sleep. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked awkwardly. I looked down to see that at some point in my sleep, I straddled Darren and he had wrapped his arms around my waist.

I blushed and pushed myself up from a confused and sleepy Darren. "Um, no, I, uh, what do you want?" I stuttered as I pulled my cut offs back on. He smirked some and cleared his throat. "Well, we have come to a decision regarding the child. Paris requests that you bring her to the Hall of Princes in an hour so that we may present judgment." Mika said.

"We?" Darren asked as he pulled on his shirt. Mika nodded. "Yes, we. All the Princes will pass judgment to her." Mika said. My eyes widened. "Are you serious?" I gasped. Mika nodded. I glared at him. "What the hell, Mika! She's only like, what, five years old? And she's only a human! I won't let this stand. I won't let her face you alone." I hissed.

Mika sighed. "She wouldn't be alone. Did you not here me? I said 'Princes', not 'Princes and Princess.'" He said, giving me a wink. I sighed in relief. "Oh thank God." I muttered. I heard a little yawn and a squeak, signaling me that Lily was awake. I turned to her and smiled.

"Hey sleepy head." I said, picking her up. She yawned again and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Morning, momma." She smiled. I grinned at her. "We have to go back to the Princes soon, so we need to get cleaned and dressed, okay baby?" I asked her, setting her down on her feet. She nodded and took my hand.

I looked up to Mika. "We have an hour, right?" I asked him. He nodded and turned to Darren. "Oh, and Larten has been looking for you, he said he had something important to tell you." He said before ducking out of the doorway. I sighed and looked at Darren. "I guess I'll see you soon, then?" I asked. He nodded and hugged me. "I'll see you later." He said. He crouched down to Lily's level.

"Bye Lily, you look after your momma, okay?" he said. She giggled and nodded excitedly. I rolled my eyes as he came back up to my level. He hesitated and gave me a quick kiss. I blushed as he pulled away grinning. "See you soon, love." He said before walking out.

**An hour later…**

"Lily, come on! We can't be late for this!" I said, pulling her up on my back and running to the Hall of Princes. We were running a little because Lily had been difficult with the bath, what with it being cold water, and so I had no choice but to bend some of the water from the waterfall so that it would rinse her off.

I was welcomed by my mentor when I reached the doors. He was frowning at me. "Vanessa, one does not keep a Prince waiting, especially not on a decision as important as this." He chastised as we walked in together, a few guards closing it behind us. I snorted, shoving some hair out of my face. 'Well, it's a good thing I'm a Princess then, eh?" I retorted.

He merely rolled his eyes and took his seat on the edge of the bench in the first row so that he was sitting next to me. I looked up at Paris. "My apologies, Sire Paris. Children aren't very fond of cold baths." I joked. He smiled and nodded. "It is fine; you made it just in time." He said. I nodded and let Lily off my back and held her hand.

Paris cleared his throat and the few Generals that came to the meeting fell silent. "My fellow Vampires, we are here today to give judgment to a young girl who has come here with Princess Vanessa." He said. Murmurs broke through the crowd. Arrow held up his hand, calling for silence.

"We have decided that she may stay human if it is her wish." Arrow said. I sighed in relief and gave Lily a comforting squeeze. "But," Mika said, picking up where Arrow left off. "If it is her wish to stay human, she must leave this place and never come back." He finished. My heart fell, my knees shook, and I fell to my feet, tears threatening to come through.

"Vanessa, do you understand what we are saying?" Paris asked softly. I looked up at him slowly, willing myself not to cry. "I can't…she can't stay with me if she says no?" I whispered. Paris shook her head no. I bit my lip and looked at Mr. Crepsley for help. They were trying to take this girl—no, my child—away from me, surely he would understand. He shook his head slowly. "They have made their decision, Vanessa." He said. I started shaking slightly.

"Momma…it's okay. You can come home with me; we can go back to the circus." She said, oblivious. I shook my head. "No Lily…I can't." I whispered to her. She stared at me, shocked. "But…but you're my momma! You have to stay, momma!" she started screaming. I grabbed my hair and squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head. "No, Lily…Lily I'm not your momma. Momma is gone, I'm so sorry, Lily." I looked up into her teary eyes. "Lily, I will find you a family, I'll leave tonight if I have to." I said. She started bawling. I shook my head.

"Baby, no. you must be quiet." I whispered. She shook her head and kept crying. Mr. Crepsley came up behind her and knocked her out with his breath and then picked her up, setting her down on my throne. "Vanessa, I am sorry." He said quietly. I shook my head. "I knew it was coming…I was naïve to think they would allow her to stay." I said, rubbing my tears away with the back of my hands.

"Vanessa? There are other matters of business we must speak to you about." Paris said. I nodded. "Yes sir, what is it?" I asked shakily. "While you were gone, Mr. Tiny came to the Mountain, telling us of three Vampires who would seek out and only they could kill the Vampaneze Lord." Arrow said. I frowned. "Oh? Is that so…" I murmured, something tickling the back of my mind. He nodded. "Yes, the hunters are Vancha March, Darren, and Larten." He said. Every cell in my body froze.

"No…no, you can't do it." I said sternly. "Not without your help." Mika said. I raised a brow at him. "How can I help?" I asked him. "You know Steve; his strengths, his weaknesses. How he travels, how heavily guarded he is." Mika said. I frowned. "So, I provide the information and then send two Princes and my mentor off to their deaths?" I asked, seething. Paris glared. "Vanessa, silence yourself. Yes, two of our warriors will die, but one will live." Paris said.

I stared at Darren and my mentor, all the nightmares that have been plaguing my mind for the past few years starting to click. They weren't dreams…they were vision of what were to come. _Maybe…maybe there's something I can do…_ I thought. I bit my lip and nodded slowly. "I will provide the information, on one condition." I said. Darren glared at me. "Vanessa, no. This is our destiny, not yours."

I glared back at him. "Hush, Darren. You don't know what you're talking about." I turned to Paris. "I go with them." I said. "Absolutely not!" Larten roared. IU turned to him. "Why not? Because it's dangerous? I don't care! You have to trust me when I say that I know more about this than you do!" I snapped. He shook his head. "Vanessa, you will not go, as your mentor, I forbid you to." He hissed. I glared. "Well, as Vampire Princess, I allow myself to go!" I hissed back.

"Enough!" Arrow shouted. We were silenced immediately. "You are acting like children! Vanessa, you will not go. Only three Vampires are allowed to make this journey, you may not go." He said. I groaned. "But Arrow, you don't understand!"

"And you do?" Darren yelled. I gave him a stiff nod. "Yes, yes I do. I know what's going to happen; you have to let me go!" "No, Vanessa! I won't let you come with us; I won't let you anywhere near him again, not after everything he's done to you." Darren said. I started shaking in rage; the temperature started rising slowly, steadily. "Darren, I will be part of this. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way." I growled.

By now, everyone had gone silent and watched our showdown. "Oh really now? And what's the hard way?" he hissed. I stared at him for a long time before speaking. "I will fight for my clan, even if I have to be along side the Vampaneze to do." I said.

Silence.

"This is treason!"

"She's crazy!"

"Traitor!"

I heard all of these after those words left my lips, but none of them hurt as much as the look on Darren's face. Appall, anger, depression, hurt, betrayal. "Darren, I know how this is going to end. Those nightmares I've been having since Sam died? They're not dreams, they're visions, and I can stop them from happening, it's my destiny. I know it is, so please let me come with you." I whispered.

He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug, burying his face into my hair as the other Princes tried to keep Larten and one of the Generals from having it out because of some rather rude names the General called me.

"Vanessa, I can't. Don't you know what you're doing? I could lose you forever." He said, his voice choking up. "And I could lose you forever, Darren, if I don't do something about it. You and Larten both…Darren please, you two are the only ones I have left. I couldn't do anything but sit back and watch as my mother and my cousin died, please don't make me watch you and Larten die too." I whispered. He stiffened and looked at me. "Your mother? Vanessa, who is your mother?" he asked, confused. I shook my head. "Now isn't a good time Darren." I whispered. He stared at me. "You have to tell me, you know this right?" he said. I nodded. He hesitated and walked over to Mr. Crepsley, whispering into his ear. At first, Mr. Crepsley seemed angry, but Darren quickly whispered to him and finally, Larten sighed in defeat.

"Paris...I believe taking Vanessa with us would be a choice we should make. After all, we could use her as bait, it seems that all Steve wants is her." Larten said. I stared at Paris pleadingly. "Please, Paris. I could find Lily a new home too, and I swear I wouldn't' be any trouble or get in their way." I urged. He thought for a long time before sighing.

"You will be the death of me, my child. I spoil you too much." He said, sighing. I bowed low. "Thank you, Paris, thank you so much." He nodded and looked at Darren, Larten and I. "We will send you off tomorrow." He said. We nodded and left to make our preparations for our journey.

_Look out Steve, I'm coming for you…I will get my revenge._

**Sorry if this seems really bad and rushed, I'm trying to get this fic done so I can really start on the sequel :) I can't believe this story is coming to a close…oh dear, I'm so proud of this little fic and so thankful and grateful to my readers and reviewers.**


	25. Sneak Peek!

**Hello my dedicated readers! Since I am still in the process of writing a chapter for The Vampire Game, I shall give you a sneak peak to the sequel because you guys are the greatest readers a writer could ever hope for! So, without further ado…**

**Chapter One: The Beginning of the End.**

"Jane!"

My head snapped up towards the front of the classroom. I felt my cheeks turn pink as everyone stared at me. I cleared my throat before speaking. "Yes, Mr. Harrison?" I asked shyly. He was glaring at me out of the thick rimmed glasses that rested on his hawk like nose, holding a piece of chalk in his hand as he impatiently tapped the floor with his loafer clad foot.

"Miss Jane, what is so important about that window that you must dismiss me and my very important lecture, which will be in most of your final exam for this class?" he asked angrily. I heard a few snickers as my face turned beet red. I rubbed my hands on my skirt, trying to get rid of sweat as I looked down at the desk and then let my green eyes meet his hazel ones.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was just…daydreaming." I said quietly, my face turning even redder as my fellow classmates giggled. The bell rang after that, signaling the end of the school day. I slowly put my notebook back into my vintage messenger bag as everyone else chatted and left. I stood up and was passing the front desk when Mr. Harrison spoke to me.

"Jane, can you please stay after class?" he said as he organized the essays that were due in the beginning of class. I sighed. My adoptive family was going to be angry once they found out that I was held after class…again. I pulled up a chair and sat it in front of his desk and looked at my hands as I twiddled my thumbs.

He sighed. "Jane, why haven't you been paying attention in class? You used to be my best student, but lately…" he trailed off. I bit my lip and pushed my hazelnut hair behind my ear and looked up at him under my thick eyelashes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Harrison. I don't mean to I just…" I trailed off, not wanting to tell him the reason why I've been so distracted lately. I couldn't bear telling anyone about my dream; they'd think I was crazy. Mr. Harrison raised a brow and took off his glasses.

"Jane is there something you'd like to talk about?" he asked sincerely. I hesitated and shook my head. He frowned at me, noticing my hesitation. "Jane, you know you can tell me. By God, I'm a friend of the family and have been one of your teachers since your ninth grade year." He said, exasperated. I bit my lip. "I know, Mr. Harrison, it's just…I've been having nightmares lately." I finally said. He stared at me.

"Nightmares? About what?" he asked me. I frowned. "I'm not sure…I remember them but…don't. And I feel like they're not just dreams, that maybe it's something that's actually happened." I said quietly. I hesitated before looking up at my teacher's face; he had been silent for awhile. He sighed and shook his head. "Jane, I don't know what to tell you. Just go home and talk to Alan and your mum about it, okay? I know they're not your parents but hey, they could help you." He said. I nodded and stood up. "Yes, sir. Bye Mr. Harrison, see you tomorrow." I said before walking out of the room, staring at my brown oxford shoes. I hurried to my locker and placed my notebook in it, exchanging it for my homework folder and a few books I read for leisure.

"Hey, Plain Jane." A masculine voice said. I jumped and gasped as someone slammed my locker shut.

It was a boy of around 6 foot with bleached blonde hair with icy blue highlights that was styled to look kind of pointy in the front. He was wearing a band t-shirt with a black leather jacket over it and black skinny jeans with a multitude of chain belts. His ears were adorned with small gauges, rings, and an industrial bar in his left ear. He had two thin silver rings on his bottom lip that gleamed in the fluorescent lighting and a ring on his eyebrow, which was lifted in amusement, his lips curved into an amused smirk.

The boy leaned against my locker, staring at me. I let out a sigh of relief and leaned against my locker. "Avery! You scared me!" I said, my face turning pink in embarrassment and anger. He laughed at me and pushed himself away from my locker as he followed me down the crowded hallway that led to the front doors of the school.

"Sorry, Jane. You just make it too easy." He snickered. I rolled my eyes. "Yes yes, I know." I said. He grinned and laughed at me. I smiled at this. No matter what, the laughter of my best friend could always make me smile. Suddenly, Avery put his arm around my waist and pulled me close to his side. He leaned over and whispered into my ear. "Just play along."

I nodded and did as instructed. We walked down the front steps and all the way to my house like that. I unlocked the front door with my key and stared at Avery curiously as we walked into my house and he shut the door behind us.

"What was that all about?" I asked him. He frowned. "It was just Justin and his bunch of dimwits." He muttered. I stared at him confused. "Huh? Avery, what are you talking about?" He stared at me for a few moments before speaking. "Jane, don't tell me that you haven't noticed." He said bluntly. I bit my lip and shook my head timidly. "Noticed what?" I asked. He sighed.

"Jane, Justin has taken a liking to you, so you need to watch out. He's bad news, kid." He said as he walked into my kitchen and opened the fridge, taking out a pitcher of sweet tea. I sighed and walked down the hallway of my one story house towards my bedroom.

"Hey, Jane! Want some tea?" Avery shouted. "Yes, please!" I replied, stepping into my room and going to my dresser to put my bag down. I looked up into the mirror and felt my eyes widen when I saw what was in the reflection. I turned around and screamed.


	26. Chapter 25: Blameless

"Why are you doing this?" a weary voice asked me. I continued packing my bag as I answered. "I refuse to sit back and watch the ones I love die." I heard clinking and looked up to see him holding up my twin daggers. "Are these what you are looking for?" he asked. I nodded stiffly and took them from his hands, shoving them into my bag. "Why are you bringing so much with you?" he asked. "To protect Lily." I said.

"Do you really think that I am fooled by such a pathetic excuse? She will be surrounded by three vampires. What are you planning, Vanessa? I have seen that look in your eyes many times, and nothing good has ever come of it." He said angrily. I whirled around and glared at the orange haired man leaning in the doorway to the store room, staring at me.

"Trust me, its better if you don't know so quit asking." I said. I turned on my heel and walked further into the store room to the back where Seba let me leave my stuff. I went to my trunk and pulled it open to find my battle suit that Evanna had given me. _Well, at least I know why she gave it to me now._ I thought bitterly as I pulled on the tight black pants that had buckles and straps to hold weapons. I pulled out the matching black leather jacket and rummaged through the chest to find the matching fingerless black gloves and black corset top.

After a few minutes, I found them. I quickly pulled them on, tying the corset part myself, and shut my chest, locking it with a key and putting the key around my neck for safe keeping. I stood up and walked back to the front of the room where Larten was speaking with Seba. I took my bag and slung it onto my back.

"Good evening, Seba." I said, giving him a formal bow. He frowned and stared at me. "Vanessa, whatever it is you are planning, be careful." He said. I smirked. "No guarantees, sir." I said before walking out to go to my chamber. "Vanessa!" I turned, without stopping, to see Darren running up to join me. I turned straight ahead, keeping my eyes on the prize. "Hey, Darren." I replied. He turned and walked backwards so he was facing me. He raised a brow. "What's up with the new look? Not that it looks weird or anything." He said quickly. I stared straight ahead.

"It's a battle suit." I said. His smile faltered. "You haven't given up, have you?" he asked. I shook my head stiffly. He sighed, turned, and started walking forward again, running a hand through his hair. "You're stubborn as hell, you know that?" he muttered. I nodded. "Yup." He rolled his eyes. "Just don't do anything stupid, okay? Don't get hurt." He whispered as we reached my room. I nodded. "Yeah, I know." I looked at him. "You, Larten, and Harkat go to the gates. I'll meet you there, I just need to get Lily." He bit his lip and nodded before walking off.

"Vanessa, are you going to keep her…knocked out for the whole…trip?" Harkat asked as we walked away from the mountain, Lily asleep in my arms. I nodded. "Yeah, maybe she'll think Vampire Mountain was all a dream. I have to protect my people." I said. He sighed and nodded his grey head. "If that's what you think is best…" he muttered. I nodded. "So, where exactly are we going?" Darren asked me as he played with the twin swords that I made him hold for me.

"We are going to my home city." Larten said. I nodded. "I'm going to ask Debbie to take care of Lily." I said. Darren stopped, his eyes widening. "What? We're going to Debbie's? I can't! I still, I just….ugh!" he groaned as he kept walking. I snorted. "Chill, Darren. I'm the only one who has to speak to her. I've been keeping an eye on her for awhile, I asked Mr. Tall to keep tabs on her because I thought this might happen." I explained. Darren nodded glumly and we continued to travel.

**Three hours later…**

"Mr. Crepsley, the sun is rising. I think we need to rest now." I said as we approached a shaded area in a forest. He looked up into the sky and sighed. "Yes, it would appear so." He muttered. Soon, we made camp and we all fell asleep, too exhausted to do anything.

"Vanessa?" I looked over to see Darren staring at me. "Yes, Darren?" I whispered. He smiled. "I thought you were still awake." I shrugged. "It's not something I do much now a days." I said quietly. He moved closer to where I was curled over on my side and pulled me to him, his arms wrapping around my waist. I shivered in the good way.

"Vanessa…" he started. I sat upright, looking around me. I jumped up and threw my dagger into a bush near our campsite. "Vanessa, what are you doing?" Darren shouted. I ignored him and walked to the bush, picking up my twin swords. I looked down at the bush to see a Vampaneze. I glared at him as he looked at me, terrified.

He looked about sixteen…and freshly blooded. I took my dagger out his jeans where I had stuck him to the ground and pointed my sword at him. "Get up." I ordered. He nodded and stood up shakily, holding up his bloody hands. I frowned. "What's your name, kid?" I asked him. He gulped as he spoke.

"M-my n-n-name is-s E-Eric." He stuttered. I nodded nudged my head towards the fire in the middle of the site. He slowly walked over until he was standing by the fire, where Darren was gaping. "Darren, wake up Mr. Crepsley." I said. He nodded and stumbled to the other side of the fire and shook his mentor awake, earning a slap in the face that sent him stumbling back a feet or two. Mr. Crepsley got up from the ground and raised a brow when he saw Eric.

I blinked at him and he sighed and nodded, understanding my tactics. I put my swords on the ground and sat down on the ground next to Eric. "Eric, take a seat and get comfortable, you're going to be here for awhile." I said. He nodded and slowly sat down. I looked at him. "Give me your hands." I ordered. His eyes widened in fear once again.

"Oh God, no. Please don't hurt me like he did! Please! I'll do anything!" he shouted. I glared at him. "Eric, are you trying to wake the human?" I hissed. He shrank away some. I closed my eyes, sighed, and opened them again.

"Now then, let me see those hands, please." I said, more gently this time. He bit his lip and reluctantly gave me his hands. I licked every one of his fingertips, healing the scars. His eyes widened and he stared at his hands when I gave them back. "How did you do that?" he asked, amazed.

"Vampire spit has healing qualities…Eric; do you know anything about what you are? Because the spit is one of the most basic concepts." I asked warily. He bit his lip again. "I know that I'm half-Vampaneze and that we…kill when we feed." He replied. I frowned and shared a glance with Mr. Crepsley.

"Did Steve send you?" Darren asked. Eric nodded slowly. "Yes, he told me to bring him the Vampire Princess." He said. He stared at me. "Is that you?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah, that's me alright." I muttered. "Well, you can tell Steve that she isn't coming, not now, not ever." Darren said angrily.

I was silent.

"Please! You have to! He'll kill me! No, worse! Please, he has my family and my girlfriend! You have to help me!" he said, on the brink of tears. "Yes, and we are truly sorry for your loss, but you must understand, Master Eric. If Vanessa were to go with you to Steve, the world would be in terrible danger, no one would be safe from his wrath." Mr. Crepsley said.

Still, I was silent.

I stood up and went to my bag that was by the sleeping Lily and put my daggers in it, then slung it over my back. "Vanessa, what are you doing?" Darren asked as I put my swords in its sheath at my hip. I looked up at him. "I'm going with Eric." I said simply.

Darren looked enraged, heartbroken, and much more. "What? Vanessa, are you insane! You can't do that!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. He walked to me and started shaking my shoulders. "Vanessa, what on earth could you accomplish by going with the enemy?" he yelled. I put my hands in his hair and brought his forehead to rest upon mine.

"More than I can here…I told you, I refuse to stand by and do nothing as I watch the ones I love die." I whispered. "But Vanessa…we…we have to stay together, we can get through this, we can go to Steve and kill him, now, get this all over with and no one will get hurt." Darren pleaded. I shook my head.

"No, Darren. There has to be another way…don't you see what's going on here? Desmond is a marionette and we're just his puppets, we can't be subject to our fates anymore, it's time that we carved our own path, and that's what I have to do."

He took my face and smashed his lips into mine as tears slid down his face. I willed myself not to cry as I kissed him deeply, like I would never see him again. "Vanessa…I love you so much…please, please don't do this." He whispered, voice hoarse.

"I have to." I whispered.

"No! I won't let you!" he roared, holding onto me for dear life. I closed my eyes as I felt a dreadful kind of power flow through my veins. "Darren… Darren, don't make me do this." I whispered. He held me tighter and tried to pull me away from Eric.

**Eric P.O.V.**

The Princess slowly raised her left hand and the boy, Darren, froze. She raised her other hand and the boy's arm dropped. She looked as though she was holding some puppet. She raised her hands and spun them in a circular motion. Darren turned around and walked towards the other man, his actions choppy. Her hands dropped and Darren collapsed to the ground, passed out.

She looked at the other man. "Mr. Crepsley…I'm sorry." She looked down at the ground, her hair creating a curtain around her face as her hands clenched into fists and shook. "Please, take care of Lily and…and I'm sorry it has to be that way, but I have to protect you and Darren…I'm sorry I disappointed you and that you couldn't ever be proud of me…I'm sorry I let Arra die." She whispered.

Mr. Crepsley walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. "It is not your fault, Vanessa. You were trying to protect the ones you love and there were just too many. Vanessa…I have never been disappointed in you, not even now. I know what you are trying to do and it is noble and I am so proud." He said. She wrapped her arms around him and started shaking.

After awhile, she pulled away from him and looked at the unconscious Darren. "Can…can you tell him that I love him?" she asked quietly. He shook his head. "You can tell him when we meet again." He said. She nodded and gave him one last hug.

"I love you, Mr. Crepsley." She whispered. He smiled. "I love you too, sweetie." He whispered.

The girl turned to me. "Okay, take me to him, we'll talk on the way." She said. I gulped and nodded, then walked away to the wretched place that my family and my love were being held captive. I'm not sure, but I could have sworn she began to cry.

"Eric…I really am sorry. Vampirism or Vampanism isn't something I would wish upon anyone. It's a tough life." She said. I nodded.

"Yeah…Steve made that perfectly clear the moment he laid his eyes on me."

**Hope you guys enjoyed the chappy! (: If you can't tell, the end is upon us! Only a few more chapters and I'm writing my sequel and ending this one! :) Kind of a lame place to end it, I know, but it's just to give emphasis on Eric's upcoming back story :) hopefully, I will update this within the week and you will have chapters 26 and 27 of the story, enjoy! (:**


	27. Chapter 26

**Ah! Getting closer to the grand finale! I'm so excited (: I have the first four chapters of the sequel written, getting the story rolling, so I can finish The Vampire Game and publish the other one :)**

**Writing the sequel reminded me that there is, in fact, a song to this fic. The overall song to this fic is I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin. There are other songs to the fic, but they're more specific and I shall post them in the last chapter of this story :) okay, cool? Cool.**

**I feel like this chapter is kind of short, so sorry. I added more to it, since originally it was going to stop at paragraph 5, but that would have been pathetic so I continued :) I hope you enjoy, though! **

**So, without further ado! :D**

**Eric P.O.V.**

"So, Eric, what's your story?" the Princess asked as she walked beside me, twiddling one of her daggers in her right hand, spinning a silver ring on her left thumb. I didn't answer. We had been walking in silence since we left her friends and I didn't really want it to be broken, especially by my life story. She sighed.

"Okay then, I guess I'll go. Eric, I'm about 35, I think." She said. I stared at her, incredulous. She looked like a seventeen year old girl. She laughed softly. "Yeah, I know, and I've been a Princess for most of my life. You see, Eric, I'm an oddity, if you will, even among the vampires. I was born a full blooded vampire." She told me. I bit my lip. _Why was she telling me this?_

"It's a hard life…I almost got killed for what I was when I was five, but Mr. Crepsley, that orange haired guy, took me under his wing." She continued. "I traveled with a place called the Cirque du Freak for ten years. That's when I met Darren Shan and Steve Leonard." She said. I stared at her, gaping.

"You knew Steve when he was a human?" I gasped. She nodded. "Yeah…once upon a time, we were in love." She said quietly. My eyes widened. "No way…the Lord? Being in love?" I asked. She stared at me. "You think he's a monster, don't you?" she asked me. I nodded.

"Yeah, he's the one that made me what I was after all." I muttered. She shook her head. "He really isn't, he's just…heavily influenced. He's a puppet and soon," she said, cracking her fingers. "He'll have a new marionette."

"A puppet? Heavily influenced? I hate to prove you wrong Miss, but the Lord does what he wants, when he wants, and no one tells him what to do." I told her. She shook her head. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Eric. But there are greater things in the universe, Destiny is one of them." She looked at me. "He's the one that has everything planned out. The Paths of Destiny are set in stone; the only thing that changes is the person who walks them." She said.

I furrowed my brows at her and started to slow my pace. We were almost to the city where we, the Lord's Royal Guard, were staying. "What do you mean?" I asked her. She shrugged. "Well, let's take Hitler and the Holocaust. If he didn't come to power, then someone else would have taken his place. It's un avoidable." She frowned and started glaring off into space. "Your Lord would know an awful lot about that." She muttered, putting her daggers away.

"About what?" a voice asked. She smiled and stopped walking. I turned to see a few Vampaneze walking up behind us. It was Gannen, flanked by R.V. and another Vampaneze who I didn't know too well.

"Hello, Gannen, it's been awhile." She said, turning around to face him. He nodded and gave her a small smile in return. "Yes, yes it has. Though, it is a shame that we had to meet again under these circumstances." He sighed.

"Its fine, I was on my way to speak with Steve anyways." She said. I stared at her, shocked. _Why would she want to talk to Steve?_ "Is that so?" Gannen asked warily. Vanessa nodded. "Yeah, I have some information to go over with him." She said. Gannen raised a brow but said nothing.

"Okay, if that is all. Please, come with me. We will escort you." Gannen said. Vanessa nodded and started walking to Gannen. She paused and turned back to me. "Well, aren't you coming?" she asked me, her brow raised. I shook my head.

"I can't face my family…not like this." I said, looking down at my feet. R.V. started snickering. "Well, good news for you! They're dead so you won't have to!" he laughed. I looked up at him, anger boiling beneath my skin. "What?" I hissed, taking a step towards him.

"Steve let us all have a taste when you were gone…let's just say there wasn't enough to go around." He said before he started laughing manically. I was about to lunge for him when he stopped laughing and blood started gurgling from his mouth. I blinked.

R.V. looked down at his stomach to find a bloody ice pick of a 3 inch diameter in his stomach. He looked up at Vanessa, enraged. "You bitch!" He snarled. She raised her hand, which was palm out and fingers closed, and she pushed it closer to him. He screeched and fell to the ground and the ice went further into his stomach.

Gannen put a hand on her shoulder. "Vanessa…" he said softly. She dropped her hands and the ice turned to water. She crouched down to R.V.'s level and said, "You're lucky Gannen was here, because I'm not the same merciful person I used to be. Next time, I won't hesitate to kill you." She stood back up and turned to me.

"Come on, Eric. I have a proposal for you too." She said. Hesitatntly, I nodded and followed her as we made our way through the city, towards the empty sewers where our Lord was waiting.


	28. Chapter 27

**Hope you guys enjoy this! I had a hard time writing this chapter, I don't like writing chapters that lead up to things that happen or that are just explanatory chapters, but it was needed so :P yeah, Read and, if you want, review! I love your feed back :)**

I lay on the small cot in the sleeping chambers, replaying the events of the night in my head as the Vampaneze slept. Steve and I had a confrontation full of snide remarks, slaps, punches, kicking, and time outs enforced by Gannen. I told him about the Hunters and what my intentions were. Reluctantly, he agreed to my proposal, but on one dreadful condition.

I asked him about Brandon but…I didn't get a good answer. Steve admitted, quite proudly, that he snapped the boy's neck soon afterwards, since he was 'a nuisance'. Of course, that ensued more fighting and…well, part of Steve's left ear is now gone. I smiled slightly at that. _Bet he won't like it when girls nibble on his ear now._ I chuckled to myself.

"You're still awake?" a voice asked. I looked to my left to see Eric looking at me miserably. "Yeah, why are you awake?" I asked him. He sighed. "I'm not used to the whole sleep in the day, run around at night thing. What's your excuse?" he asked. I shrugged. "I'm a daylighter." I said simply. He raised a brow. "I can walk around in the sun because I'm special." I smirked. He rolled his eyes.

"So, what's this life story of yours?" I asked him. He frowned. "Well, sorry if this comes across as conceited and arrogant, but my life was perfect, I had it all." He said, looking up at the ceiling. I sat up and stared at him. "Elaborate." He looked at me for a bit before answering.

"Well, I had a great family life, we were upper class, I was the star pitcher on the baseball team, had straight A's, Valedictorian, and I had a girlfriend who was kind, smart, and beautiful, inside and out." He said, smiling a sad smile. "How the hell did you get yourself mixed up in this?" I asked him softly. He furrowed his brow.

"Nora, my girlfriend, and I were on our way to my house for a late dinner. I felt like someone was watching, but I didn't say or do anything, I didn't want to freak out Nora. So I kept walking and when we got into the house, he was there, holding my mom, my dad and my younger brother hostage. Another Vampaneze took Nora and Steve took me to my room and talked to me some, and we struck up a deal." He said.

"You traded your humanity for your loved ones, didn't you?" I asked, starting to get crazy pissed. I could feel the temperature starting to rise in the room and I fought to keep my emotions in check. Eric looked at me and nodded. I frowned. "Wow, what an asshole." I said bluntly. He blinked, surprised.

"What?" I glared at the ceiling. "Darren gave up his humanity and became a Half Vampire so that Mr. Crepsley would save Steve's life." I said angrily. Eric was quiet. "Vanessa…I don't want to be a killer." He said quietly. I paused and thought this over very carefully before I spoke.

"What if I told you that you don't have to be?" I whispered. He sat up bolt right and stared at me. "You can make me human again?" He paused and frowned. "No…I have nothing to live for anyways." He flopped back down on his bed. "Sure you do, you just have to find it. Mr. Crepsley did." I said. He glared at the ceiling. "Yeah, well, he's not a Vampaneze, now is he?" he said angrily.

"No, he's a Vampire." I said calmly. Slowly, he rolled his head over to the side and looked me in the eyes. "Are you going to turn me?" he asked softly. "Do you want me to? It will be extremely painful, but I can do it."

"You will not." A voice said. I sighed. "Steve, you can't tell me what to do." I said tiredly. He sat on my bed. "Sure I can." I stared into his eyes for a long time, getting angry as I began to see the resemblance to the eyes of Mr. Tiny. "No. You. Can't." I said slowly and deliberately. He rolled his eyes at me.

"Oh my dear Vanessa, the eternally indignant child." He sighed dramatically. "Don't make me rip off the rest of your ear." I snapped back. He glared at me before standing up and walking away, muttering "Damn Vampire." under his breath as he went.

"So…what happened when you got here? With Steve, I mean." Eric asked. I sighed and laid back on my cot. "Well, it started as it usually did. There was that tension we always feel, and then beating around the bush, and then we finally spit out what we wanted from each other." I said.

"What tension? What do you want? What does he want?" Eric asked, rolling over onto his stomach. "Well, we were each other's firsts, so there's _that_ awkwardness, and then the feeling of betrayal from both parties, and anger and sadness." I said quietly as I prayed in my head that my plan would work.

"Okay, but what do you two want from each other?" He pursued. I frowned. "Well, I told him about the three Vampire Hunters who would come together to kill him. He knows who the first two are, that one's a no brainer, but he doesn't know the third one. But anyways, I wanted to go with the Hunters, to put my plan in motion, but the Princes wouldn't let me, so the only way I can protect my loved ones and the clans is to protect Steve." I told him.

"Why would you want to save the Vampaneze? They're murderers!" He hissed at me. I sighed. "Vampaneze aren't evil though, my purpose is to protect the goodness of the world, I learned this at a very young age." I started. "Eric, what do you know of Vampaneze?" I asked him.

"Well, they kill when they feed and they flit. Oh, and you said that the spit has healing abilities." He said. I frowned. "That's all you know?" I asked, astounded. "Yeah, Steve never really filled me in on anything." He muttered. I glared at the ceiling. "I didn't expect Steve to, but I thought Gannen would. Its men like Gannen that lead me to protect their race, actually."

"You see, like Vampires, Vampaneze can't wield ranged weapons, although we Vampires allow throwing knives, shurikens, and things of that nature. But, you can't use guns, bows, or anything like that. Vampaneze are also bound to keep their word. If a Vampaneze makes a promise, you can be sure that he, or she, will honor it. And about the killing thing…" I trailed off.

"Well, Vampires were like that, once upon a time, but then most of the race decided it was wrong, so they restrained themselves and a group of them didn't agree to that at all, so they separated from the clan." I told him, starting to tell him the beginning of his race.

"Why would they separate? That's so wrong!" he seethed. "Because, Eric, when you suck all the blood from a person, you keep something of theirs. You want to know what that is?" I asked him, starting to feel Mr. Crepsley's own frustration with me when he had taught me this so many years ago.

"Um…sure…" Eric replied, unsure, with his brow raised in skepticism. "You keep a part of their soul, so they're always with you. Like the great Prince Paris, he has a part of Shakespeare's soul within him. And Darren? He has part of his friend Sam's soul within him." I explained.

"But aren't Darren and Prince Paris Vampires?" he questioned. "Yeah, just because you're a vampire doesn't mean you can't do it. They sucked the last of their blood on their death beds." I said quietly, remembering how emotionally scarred Darren had been. It was his first drink of human blood and he had nightmares for months afterwards.

Eric rolled back over onto his back and laid there for a long time. "So, that's what you want…but what does he want?" he asked. I closed my eyes tight and breathed deeply. "A son." I muttered through clenched teeth. He rolled over quickly. "What?" he cried. I glared at him. "Eric! Drop the volume! You're going to wake everyone up!" I hissed. He flushed. "Sorry." He whispered. I waved it away with my hand.

"It's whatever, but yeah. I can give birth to a Vampire child, or a Vampaneze child, it all depends on who the father is…well, I suppose I could also give birth to a hybrid." I mused. "Why does he want a son?" Eric asked warily. "I'd be lying if I told you Steve wasn't powerful, as am I. So think about it, two powerful beings having a kid…?" I trailed off, letting him piece it together. His eyes widened. "Oh crap." He said. I nodded. "Yeah." I said quietly.

He rolled back onto his back and remained silent. I sighed. _Poor kid, probably fell asleep._ I thought as I turned onto my side to fall asleep. "Vanessa?" I jumped and turned to see Eric sitting by my cot. "Yeah?" I asked uneasily.

"Can…will you make me a vampire?"


	29. Chapter 28: My Little Assistant

**Wewt wewt! Two chapters in one day! :D Not too many chapters of this story yet...I think I'm going to cry when this story goes from "In-Progress" to "Complete"**

"IS IT SO HARD TO NOT LOSE A FUCKING VAMPIRE? SHE'S A GIRL, AND HER SKIN ISN'T FUCKING PURPLE! HOW CAN YOU FUCKING LOSE HER?" I heard Steve shout from a few tunnels over in the sewers. I laughed and dodged another blow from Eric. "Chill out, bro, I'm over here!" I called as I did a back handspring, narrowly avoiding getting sliced by my swords that Eric was wielding.

"See? It's getting easier to use now, right?" I asked, wiping sweat from my brow. He grinned and nodded as he fell onto his butt and stretched out. "Yeah, it really is like a super long arm." He answered. I nodded and offered him my hand. "Okay, back up, we're not done." He took my hand and groaned. "What now?" He whined. I rolled my eyes.

"Hand to hand combat." I said, dropping my daggers and kicking them to the side of the chamber that the multiple intersecting tunnels created. He frowned as he tossed my swords over. "Well, now you'll definitely kick my butt." He remarked. I rolled my eyes and held my fists up in a protective position, like a boxer.

"Okay, doing this provides protection for your face, so you can use one hand to keep your face from getting too beaten up while you hit your opponent with the other hand." He held up his hands like me and we started circling, waiting for the other to make the first move. Eric then made a jab at me, but left his face unguarded. I quickly punched him in the face.

"Jesus Christ, woman!" he shouted, rubbing the right side of his face. I laughed, letting my guard down. "See, what did I tell you? You left your face unguarded." I grinned. He groaned and fell flat on his back. I sighed and sat down neck to him, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "You're bleeding, let me fix that up for you." I spit on my hand and rubbed it onto his cut, healing it almost instantly. He laid on the floor, panting.

"Can we be done with this?" he asked, exhausted. "What is this anyways?" another voice asked. I stood up and took off my gloves, sticking them into my back pocket. "Yeah, go tell Gannen we're going to go out for a feed." I said to Eric, pulling him up. I turned. "And to answer your question, we were training." I told Steve, who was leaning against one of the tunnel's walls. He raised a brow. "Training? For what?"

"Battle, life in general. I can't just send him out into the world, not knowing what to do, now can I?" I asked as I walked down the tunnel Steve had came from. He sighed and walked beside me, his thumbs shoved into his pockets. "He's none of your concern, Vanessa. He'll be dead soon anyways." He muttered. I smirked at that.

"Considering that he's my assistant, yes, he is my concern." I said smartly. Steve froze and shoved me against the wall. Boy was he seething. "He's your what?" He hissed. I shoved him off me, just hard enough for him to slam into the wall behind him. I brushed off my jacket like a douche before answering.

"He's my assistant. I blooded him while everyone else was asleep." I said simply, walking down the tunnel and taking a left, entering the chamber where a lot of Vampaneze were waiting to go feed. "You idiotic woman!" he yelled, tackling me. I growled and flipped him over quickly, a knife pressed to his throat. "What was I supposed to do? You blooded him in spite of Darren!" I snarled. He roared and kicked me off of him, my knife flying from my hand. He tackled me to the floor. "Don't even start with that! He took the life I wanted, just so he could rub it in my face!" he shouted. I pushed him off of me and punched him in the face.

"He did it to save your life, dumbass!" I sneered. He went to kick me but I dropped into the splits and spun around onto my back, knocking his legs out from under him. He cried out in shock as he landed on his back and my booted foot slammed into his chest. I leaned into it.

"Don't try that again. You may be strong, Steve Leonard, but I'm stronger." I leaned in close to his face and whispered in his ear. "And don't you forget it." I stood up and walked over to Eric, who was holding out my dagger. "Thanks, Eric. Now then, off to get some juicy blood!" I smiled. Eric looked a bit queasy. I sighed. "It's not that bad, trust me, especially since you're a Vampire." I said with a wink. He smiled.

"Vanessa…you re blooded him?" Gannen asked, shocked. I nodded. "Yeah. I need an assistant; he didn't want to kill people. Seemed like a good deal." I shrugged. He face palmed. "Dear gods, what are we going to do with you." He groaned. I smiled. "Put up with me." I said, poking his nose. He rolled his eyes at me.

"We'll be back soon." I told him, before turning to Steve. "I hope that won't be a problem." I sneered. He glared at me but said nothing as Eric and I left.

"Vanessa, are we getting lost?" Eric asked quietly as we walked down a country road on the outskirts of the city. I shook my head. "No, I know where I'm going." I told him. "How?" he asked, pulling his jacket around him tighter. "I've been to this city. I used to come through this place a lot with my mentor." I explained. "Why?" he grunted. I stopped when we finally reached the top of a small hill. "Because of this." I said quietly.

Before lay a small field where wild flowers, mostly of blues and purples, grew, dancing in the night wind. There were some rotted remnant of fences and a single brick wall that was all that remained of a two hundred year old house. "Eric, stay here." I murmured. He nodded and watched as I walked down the small hill and went to the wild flowers.

I started picking some beautiful white flowers, and then found one dark blue one and stuck it in the middle of my little arrangement that I then tied together crudely with a piece of grass. I walked over to the brick wall and smiled. "What are those for?" Eric asked.

"My mentor lived here a little over two hundred years ago. This is his little memorial. See that name?" I ased. He squinted at it. "Vur…Vur Horston. Who's that?" he asked. "That was his cousin. My mentor had killed his cousin's murderer and fled town where her met Seba Nile and became a vampire." I smiled. I laid down the flowers and sat there for a while. "I guess he hasn't been here yet, since there aren't any other flowers here." I said thoughtfully. I kissed my fingers and pressed them to the wall, closing my eyes. "Soon." I whispered before standing up and turning to Eric.

"Okay, are you ready to go back or are you still hungry?" I asked him. He shrugged. "I'm good on blood, but I could really go for a burger right now." He laughed. I smiled. "Well, I know where we can find a pretty good burger joint downtown." I offered, holding out my arm. He lopped his through mine and grinned. "Sounds good to me."

"So, you and your mentor. Did you two used to have a thing or something?"

I choked when that came out of Eric's mouth. "Good God, no!" I said, gulping down some water to try to make the rest of the food go down. He snickered. "Well, sorry. It's just from what I've seen and what I've heard from you about him." He said, smirking. I shook my head. "No, we've never been like that. He's spent 30 years raising me." I laughed.

"So…do you have a thing with anyone?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah…Darren." I said, smiling softly. He frowned. "I've heard a lot about this guy. Steve said he was a liar and that he manipulated you." He said. I shook my head. "No, if anyone is manipulative, it's Steve." I said. "Darren is really sweet…kind…brave…loving…gentlemanly…" I sighed in content. Eric laughed.

"Dang, you've got it bad, girl!" he laughed I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I snorted. He just smiled. "So, how long have you been with him?" he asked. I frowned. "Well…we're not exactly together…not officially…I didn't realize that I loved him until a few months ago." I said sadly. Eric stared.

"Has he kissed you?"

"Yes."

"Has he made love to you?"

I smacked him from across the table.

"That's none of your business!" I snapped, my face turning redder by the minute. He roared with laughter. "Oh my God, the look on your face!" he cried as the waitress came back with our receipt. I gave her a twenty. "Keep the change." I said as I glared at Eric.

"Come on, Steve's going to get pissed if we stay out all night." I told him. He groaned and dragged himself out of the booth. "Sorry bud, his house, his rules." I said as we walked out of the place. The wind picked up again and swirled my brown hair around me. I shuddered. "Vanessa, are you okay?" Eric asked worriedly. I shook my head no and replied with dread in my voice.

"Something bad is going to happen soon...I can feel it."


	30. Chapter 29: Hey, I think I know you

"That's Jack's."

Eric was sitting at the foot of my coffin as I sat in it, strumming and tuning a guitar. "Yes, and it's horrifically out of tune." I replied. He furrowed his brows. "Jack's going to kill you if he sees you with that." Eric said worriedly, looking around. "Not if I kill him first!" I said in a sing song voice. I quit strumming and listened hard.

I stepped away from my coffin. "Come on, Steve is calling a meeting." I told Eric. He nodded, stood, and followed me as I followed the sound of Steve's voice.

"Glad you could make it." He said, eyeing me warily as Eric and I came in and leaned against the chamber's back wall, farthest from Steve. As soon as his mouth started moving, I quit listening and went back to Jack's guitar, finally getting it in tune. I started playing a song I knew very well, it was a song Darren and I dedicated to each other.

"Pretty little lady with your swollen eyes will you show them to me?" I sang quietly, my eyes closed.

"Vanessa!" I snapped back to reality and looked at Steve. "Yeah?" He slapped himself in the face. "Did you hear a single word I just said?" he asked, annoyed. "To be honest, no, no I didn't." he sighed. "Then I will repeat myself, you and Eric are to either stay by my side or Gannen's at all times. Understood?"

"Yeah yeah, I understand. What's going on anyways?" I asked. The room went quiet. I raised a brow. "I'm waiting." I said, going back to playing the guitar. Steve sighed. "Well, we are facing the Hunters tonight." He said.

The guitar string snapped and everything went silent. I kicked myself from the wall, walking out of the room. "Vanessa, get back here!" Steve yelled. I raised my hand and gave him the finger before I turned a corner and went back to the chamber where I trained Eric. I started pacing and kicked a wall, and then punched it.

"Vanessa?" a small, concerned voice called out. "Go away, Eric. I need space." I said, kicking the wall again. "Why are you so mad? You knew this was going to happen." He said. I rested my head on the wall. "It was…but I'm supposed to be changing that. This can't be happening, it…it…." I sighed. "Okay, time to go back." I muttered, too stubborn to accept fate. I came here to change it, and that intent will be achieved. So for now, I had to go back and hold my tongue, be silent and patient.

And we did. I sat through the rest of the meeting, staring off into space and reminiscing. "I have one question for you, Steve. What makes you think they'll come?" I asked. Steve laughed. "Because, we have something they want." Steve said. "And what might that be?"

"A human." Steve said, snapping his fingers. Jack and Gannen left to get the human. They brought the human back and my eyes widened, my mouth dropped.

"Debbie?" I shouted in surprise. She stared at me, scared and confused. "Do I know you?" she asked in a small voice. I shook my head slowly and walked towards her. "No…Debbie, I'm a friend of Darren's." I told her. She narrowed her eyes. "If you're a friend of Darren's, why are you here?" she asked in a low voice. "Because, I would do anything to protect him." I looked at Gannen. "I'll take care of her." He looked hesitant but finally let me have her. I pulled her to the back of the room where Eric was standing and sat her down.

"Debbie, have they hurt you?" I asked her. She bit her lip and looked at Steve fearfully. I gently pulled her face back so she was looking at me. "Debbie, did they hurt you?" I asked again. She hesitated and nodded slowly. "They drank some of my blood." She said, holding out her right arm. Her forearm was caked with dirt and dried blood, and the cut where it had come from looked like it was starting to get infected.

"Debbie, let's go get you cleaned up." I pulled her up and Eric and I took her to the sleeping chamber, where I pulled my coffin onto the floor so she could sit on it. "Eric, go fetch me a clean rag and some warm water, please. I need to clean off as much blood and dirt as I can." I told him. He nodded. "Got it, boss." And off he went.

"So, Debbie…" I started, biting my lip hesitantly.

"…Yes?"

"Have…have you seen Darren recently?" I asked in a quiet voice.

Eric returned then with what I asked and silently placed them in front of me before sitting at my side. I soaked the rag, wrung it out some, and started to gently rub the dirt and blood off Debbie's arm. The more dirt and blood that came off, the sicklier her arm looked. It was covered in purple, blue, black, and yellowy splotches; bruises that hadn't had time to heal before more were inflicted. I glared at her arm as I worked.

"Yes…I have. I suppose that's why that boy came for me." She shuddered. "He's not a boy, Debbie. He's a little younger than Darren; don't let his appearance deceive you." I said quietly. She nodded slowly. "Yes…yes, you're right. Who are you?" She asked. I smiled. "My name's Vanessa and this is my assistant, Eric." Eric smiled shyly and gave her a little wave. Debbie glared at him.

"Don't look at me like that! You're one of them!" she snapped. He blinked, somewhat stunned by her fieriness. I chuckled. "Not anymore, he's a Vampire now." I murmured. She turned her glare to me. "And you! Oh dear God, do _not _get me started on _you!_" she hissed. I stared at her, shocked.

"Me? What did I do?" I asked honestly. She glared. "Don't act like you don't know. That boy has been in love with you for over twenty years, and then you just go and leave him like that? Not only did you leave him, but you joined forces with his _arch nemesis!_" she said angrily. I gaped at her.

"Do you know how crushed he is? How heartbroken he is? It pains me to see him like that." She said, her voice quieter now. I bit my lip and looked down before re-soaking the rag, wringing it out, and wiping her arm once again.

"I had to do this…I don't want to be here…it's the only way I can protect him…that I can protect Larten…" I said quietly. Her arm was clean now, but her face…. I soaked the rag again and started wiping the grime off her pretty face.

"Debbie…Darren met you…what, fifteen years ago?" I asked. She nodded. "Yeah, when I was a kid. I met Evra too but…" she furrowed her brow. "I've never met you before…though he did talk about you an awful lot." I blushed. "Did he really? He talked about you a lot too…" I trailed off. She snorted. "Well of course he did, I told him so." I stopped wiping her face.

"What? Why would you do that?" I asked, genuinely confused. "Because he loved you, you were pining over that jack ass Steve and didn't even notice him." She said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. I frowned. "I _did_ notice him…I just…I had a lot going on. I felt like I was betraying Steve and that it would've been wrong…I could already tell that Mr. Crepsley thought of him as a son and it'd be awkward…" I trailed off. "Why?" Eric and Debbie asked.

"Vanessa." I looked to the chamber entrance to find Gannen standing with a grim look on his face.

"It's time."

**Wow, hoped you liked this chapter! **

**So…chapter 30 of The Vampire Game is next…**

**I feel like it's a big display or project for me, personally, of my writing skills and I think for me, it's going to make or break this fic…but that's just me and I go hard on myself when it comes to writing, especially when it comes to this story. Review please! I love to hear what you guys think (: Be honest, not brutal! ;)**


	31. Chapter 30: Don't leave me, I beg of you

**Wow, so this is the chapter I've been most excited about, I cry just thinking about it. There is a song to this chapter; you'll know what part it applies to when you get there. The song is Broken by Seether featuring Amy Lee from Evanescence. I listened to it while I was writing this actually…totally started crying. Enjoy!**

Eric and I followed Gannen to another chamber in the tunnels. I hadn't been to this one before, Steve made it perfectly clear when I came here that it was a restricted area. At the time, I didn't care. Mysterious chamber in a filthy set of unused tunnels, big whoop.

The tunnel we came out of led us out onto a metal platform that was suspended about fifteen feet from the ground. Beneath us was the chamber. There were holes in a few of the walls where Vampaneze could stick spears through. I frowned. Cowards, they were hiding in the shadows.

To my left on the floor level was a metal door that seemed to be tightly closed, and to my right was a large hole in the wall, no doubt the entrance point for the Hunters. A smell started irritating my nose. It was coming from my right. I walked to the right side of the platform and looked over the edge, leaning on the handrails. My eyes widened in horror.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Steve asked, leaning his back against the handrail. I stared at Steve. "Steve, what are you planning?" I demanded. He patted me on the head and smirked. "Don't worry about it, babe." He said before pushing himself off the handrail to go talk with some other Vampaneze. I looked back down at the terrible sight as my stomach slowly dropped. My nightmares were about to come true.

"Vanessa, what is that?" Eric asked, staring at the monstrosity below. "That's a pit of metal stakes that will soon burn, Eric. He couldn't use wooden stakes because the fire would burn them too much before the stake could do its job." I said gravely. "What does this mean?" he whispered. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before answering.

"It means Steve intends to exact his revenge."

I sat against the wall on the platform, as far away from the pit of stakes as possible. I was sharpening my swords when I heard it. "They're coming." I muttered, standing up and putting the swords back in their sheath that was strung across my chest and back. "You can hear them already?" Steve asked. I nodded. "I'd know Larten's footsteps anywhere." I looked at Steve from the corner of my eye. "You forget that I've been with the man for nearly thirty years."

Steve smirked at that and stood up straight when the man in question stepped out from the shadows. I bowed slightly at my mentor. He nodded in return. I took a few steps back as he was followed by the third Hunter, Vancha March, the Little Person, Harkat Mulds, and last but not least, the Vampire Prince, Darren Shan.

My heart ached for him, it yearned for him. But he wouldn't look at me. Steve looked at me when Darren walked in and smirked. "What a beautiful reunion, is it not?" he laughed. I glared at him. "Oh, but what's this? Is Shan not excited to see his woman?" I growled at him. "Steve shut up. Don't make me go back on my promise." I said raising my hands slowly in front of me. He merely smirked. "And don't make me go back on mine." He said pleasantly, his eyes darting from me, to Eric, and back again.

I backed down.

"Cut the shit, Leonard! What do you want? Where's Debbie?" Darren shouted. I blinked. He's never been so…hostile before. Steve clicked his tongue. "My my, Shan. Patience is a virtue." He sighed. Darren just glared. Steve sighed. "Vanessa, go fetch the human." He ordered. I glared at him. This was humiliating, ordering me around in front of my fellow Vampires—my fellow Princes!—just to show that he was in control. I complied though; I couldn't do anything that would get my assistant killed. I nudged my head in the direction of the tunnel and Eric followed me to get Debbie.

I didn't have to go far; Debbie was in the chamber where I left her, absentmindedly rubbing her arm. I dismissed the Vampaneze who was guarding her. "Debbie, it's time to go. Darren's here for you." I told her, reaching out my hand. She hesitated and nodded, reaching out her hand and taking mine. I gave her a reassuring squeeze and gently guided her through the tunnels, Eric close behind. "Vanessa, why'd I have to come? You didn't even need me." He muttered. I frowned. "I don't trust Steve, and he doesn't trust me." I said. He nodded and dropped the conversation as we stepped out onto the platform.

I looked down to see Vancha holding Darren back, whispering soothing words into his ear. I raised a brow at Steve as I came up next to him. "What did you say?" I ask wearily. He smirked and took hold of one of my loose curls, twirling it around his finger. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, "It's what I didn't say." My eyes narrowed at him.

"Back off, Steve." I saw Eric glaring daggers at Steve, his hand on the hilt of one of the daggers I gave him. Steve sniffed and turned his attention back to Darren. "So, Shan, you've come for your woman?" Steve smirked. "Cause I guarantee you that you won't take her." Steve sneered. Darren's fists were shaking by his sides.

I raised my free hand slightly, held it flat and pushed it down slowly. Darren saw this and understood. He closed his eyes and started taking deep breaths. "Steve, stop playing your games, we've come for Debbie, so give her up before we make you." Vancha demanded. Steve raised a brow at him. "My my, Vancha March. You and Gannen look an awful lot alike, now don't you?" Steve said, looking between his right hand man and the Vampire Prince. Vancha narrowed his eyes at Steve.

Steve sighed then. "Oh well, I grow weary of all this bantering. Now then, what I want." Steve stood up straight as Vampaneze stepped out from the shadows, weapons raised, surrounding my fellow Vampires. My eyes widened in realization. I gasped when I was grabbed from behind. I heard a growl and wriggling, that means they got Eric too.

Steve took a sword from Gannen and pointed it at Mr. Crepsley, a fiery hate in his eyes. "I want my revenge, time to die, Larten Crepsley." I gasped as everything was kicked into gear. The Vampaneze lunged and Mr. Crepsley tore off his cape and darted across the chamber, jumped and landed on the platform. He pulled out his own sword and immediately started to fight Steve.

_Well, that's my cue…_

I elbowed the Vampaneze holding me in the gut. He let out a gasp and I turned around, kicking him in the chest, sending him flying over the hand rails. I turned to see Eric doing the same to his captor. I looked at him and then at Debbie. "Eric, keep her safe!" I shouted as I flipped over the platform and landed on the ground. I pulled out my swords and immediately began to fight.

I heard a groan and turned to see a few Vampaneze ganging up on Darren. I took out a throwing star from one of my many pant pockets and threw it at one of the Vampaneze's back. He cried out in pain and turned to me, angry. I smirked and gave him the universal 'come and get me' sign. He growled and lunged for me. I ducked, rolled, stood, and stabbed him in the gut. He groaned and fell to the ground.

Soon after, I found myself pressed up against Darren's back, both of us fighting off the enemy. "I don't need your help." He grunted, shoving a Vampaneze away from him. I kicked another in the face and turned to him, heartbroken. "Maybe not, but I need you. I did this to protect you." He pushed me over and stabbed a Vampaneze, pushing him to the ground. He pulled me up. I smiled. "Thanks." He smiled a little too. "Anytime." He replied. He looked up and went rigged all over. Then I realized something. It was quiet…too quiet…and it was warm.

I turned slowly and froze, my eyes widening in horror. Mr. Crepsley was holding onto the railing of the platform, dangling above the pit of stakes…the fiery pit of stakes. Mr. Crepsley looked over at us. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, no….no this can't be happening.

"Mr. Crepsley!" Darren shouted, dropping his weapons and running towards him. A few Vampaneze grabbed him and held him back. "Darren...it is my time…take care of her." He whispered, looking at me. "No…no you can't do this!" I saw Steve grinning maliciously at Mr. Crepsley. "You should have feared me more, Crepsley. You should have made me one of you when you had the chance, you would have lived longer." He spat, raising his sword.

"Steve, no!" I shrieked, running towards the pit. Vancha grabbed me and held me in his arms. The tears flowed freely now. "Steve, please! Don't do this, I'll do anything!" I shrieked. He glared at me. "This doesn't concern you, there is nothing you can do that will change my mind." He sneered.

"Vanessa…it will be okay, you will be okay." Mr. Crepsley said. "No, no!" I screamed. "Vanessa, I love you and will always be with you, don't ever forget." He said sadly. Steve's eyes flared up at that and he roared, raised his sword, and hit Mr. Crepsley's hands with it, causing him to lose his grip and fall into the fiery pit of stakes.

"NO!" I screeched. I raised my hands and slammed them down, throwing everyone to the ground. I saw a bucket of water and reached my hand out to it, and flung it at the fire, extinguishing it. I jumped gingerly onto the stakes and pulled my soaked and charred and bloody mentor out of it, laying his head on my lap.

"Mr. Crepsley?" I whispered hoarsely. He groaned and rolled his head. I started sobbing. "Why would you do that? You could have saved yourself!" I shrieked. "It was my time, Vanessa. I know your plans, and I know that in order for it to work, a Hunter must die. Our clan needs the Princes now more than ever." He choked out.

"But I need you more! I have my first assistant; I don't know what to do! I'm so lost without you!" I shouted, crying over him, holding his hands in mine tightly. "You can't just leave me…you're all I have left." I whispered. He raised a shaky hand and held my cheek. "You have Darren now, Vanessa. He will love you and he will protect you. And Seba can help you teach your assistant." He whispered.

I shook my head. "I need you, please, I need you so desperately. It has to be you, I can't lose anyone else, and especially not you…please don't leave me." I whispered. "You have not lost anyone, Vanessa. You will see them again soon." He whispered. I shook my head. "I can't wait that long, I need you…you're supposed to be with me always, you always have been." I whimpered.

"I am sorry Vanessa, but I…I must…" he said before coughing. I glared through my tears. "No! I won't let you!" I started spitting on various parts of him, but nothing worked, he didn't heal. "NO! Why aren't you healing?" I cried out in pain. "Vanessa…" Mr. Crepsley wheezed. "She…she always loved you." He whispered. I nodded slowly. "I know she did…I love her too…and I miss her…her and Kurda and Gavner…I miss them so much…please…" I whispered. He feebly shook his head. I sobbed uncontrollably.

"Please! I'll do anything! Please don't die! I'm sorry! Okay? I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I cried. "Vanessa…do not be…" I shook my head. "It's my entire fault! I'm sorry we stuck with this stupid act, I take it back! Just please don't leave me! I know I used to tell you that I hated you, but I don't! I love you so much!" I cried and sat my head against his chest, curling up into him.

"We were supposed to be a family…remember?" I whispered. He nodded. "You were supposed to walk me down the aisle at my wedding and hand me off to my husband…we were going to go to France with Arra cause she used to live there…We were going to go visit Vur and give him a lot of flowers, all of his favorite ones." I said. For a long time, I continued rambling about everything we wanted to do, all the memories we had, until his heart stop beating and his body went cold.

I heard laughter. I looked up to see Steve smiling mockingly at me, clapping his hands. "I've finally achieved everything I've been working for…it took me nearly thirty years but I finally did it." He sneered. "And what was that, Steve? Was it being a bastard? Because you surpassed that goal a long time ago." Darren said. I looked down at my mentor, numb to Darren and Steve's bickering. I bit my lip. He mostly bled out but….there was just a little bit of blood left…

"What's she doing?" I heard Eric ask. Darren turned to look at me and his face softened as he saw me sucking on my mentor's arm that had many scars, most of them being in the shape of bite marks. "She's trying to absorb his soul." Gannen said sympathetically. Eric freaked out. "Vanessa, that's poisonous!" he shouted. I stood up shakily and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, glaring at Steve. Steve smirked again.

"First, I killed his pathetic nephew, Kurda Smahlt. Then, his precious mate, Arra Sails, though I must admit I hit two birds with one stone when it comes to that little bitch." The temperature started to rise. "And finally, I killed him, Larten Crepsley…or should I say Vur Horston."

"Shut the fuck up you dumb ass." I said, my voice stronger than I felt. I looked him dead in the eye. He glared at me. "Excuse me?" he growled. I stared. "I said, shut the fuck up you dumbass. You didn't kill Vur Horston." Steve raised a brow at me. "Oh? So that isn't a dead man on the floor?" he asked sarcastically. "Vur Horston has been dead for over two hundred years,he was killed by a human." I pointed at my dead mentor. "That is Larten Crepsley, Vur was his cousin. And you failed, Steve Leonard. You may have killed his nephew, you may have killed his mate, and you may have killed his best friend, who was more like a brother, but you did not complete your revenge." I said darkly.

He stared at me, confused. "Yes I did! I killed his relatives, the ones he loved most! I killed off what was left of his family!" he shouted. I shook my head and drew out my sword. "No, he has a kid. You forget that his mate was able to bear children." His eyes widened. "No…no it can't be." He whispered, gripping the railings. I nodded. "You idiot, I don't use stage names." Everyone looked confused, except for Darren. He must've figured it out for himself. "My Lord, what is she talking about?" Gannen asked. I glared at Steve.

"My name is Vanessa Arra Vur Anne Crepsley, daughter of Arra Sails and Larten Crepsley, you have failed Steve. You will never get your revenge."

I raised my hands, flexed my fingers, and made every Vampaneze fall to the floor unconscious. I turned to my father and fell to the ground. "Vancha, I wish to bring him to his grave." He hesitated and nodded, picking him up. "I turned around to see Eric holding an unconscious Debbie. "Come on Eric, we're leaving." He nodded and picked Debbie up, bridal style, and followed Vancha out. I walked back to the pit of stakes and broke off the tip of the one that pierced my father's heart and held it close to me.

"Vanessa." A soft voice called. I turned to see Darren standing, holding his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up and into his embrace. I sobbed quietly in his arms and started shaking. My knees gave out,, too. He pulled my legs and wrapped them around his waist and left the chamber of death. I heard silent laughter and knew, then, that I never had a chance of saving my father.

Mr. Tiny won…he got his satisfaction.

"So…this is where he grew up?" Darren asked me. I nodded. "Yeah…he had a lot of siblings." I said softly. "He said he was glad I was an only child, he didn't want me to have to struggle the way he did." I told him. Darren nodded. I placed the white flowers that bloomed only at night on the freshly dug grave and sat there for awhile. Vancha, Eric, and Debbie left and walked up the hill to give me some privacy. "Do you want me to leave?" Darren asked. I shook my head.

"We didn't even know he was my father—that he was a father period—until I had become a Princess." Darren looked shocked. "Arra, my mom, hadn't told anyone except for Kurda." I murmured. I frowned. "He got really angry at first and I thought he hated me…and because of that, I nearly died during my Trials." He gaped at me. "What? Why?" he gasped. I bit my lip. "I already thought of him as my dad and I loved him so much and when he got angry, I thought that he hated me because he avoided me and I didn't have the will to fight anymore." I smiled softly then. "But, just as I was about to accept death, he burst into the room and shouted 'Get your ass off the ground and fight! Do not disappoint me, Vanessa Anne, I have trained you better!'" I laughed a little at the memory.

Darren rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, what now?" he asked. I looked at him. "We take Debbie home and return to the Cirque, Evra has a family now, you know." He stared at me. "I didn't even know he found himself a girl. I smiled. "That's because you haven't been there in years." I said. I sighed. "But I have things to discuss with Mr. Tall and I need a safe place to train Eric."

Darren nodded and picked me up, carrying me bridal style. "Okay, let's go."

We took Debbie home and I said my last good bye to Lily, then our rag tag group made up of a Little Person, two Half-Vampires, and two Vampires left, walking in the light of the full moon to the Cirque du Freak where I would set my plans in motion.


	32. Chapter 31

"Vanessa! Wait, Darren…? Darren!" Evra shouted. He was carrying something in the middle of camp when he saw us. He dropped everything and ran to give Darren a man hug. He grinned at me and gave me a hug, too. "Where's my little squirt?" He asked, looking around for Lily. "I found her a human family, you remember Debbie, right?" I asked him. He nodded. "Yeah…that's a shame, I miss the bugger." He sniggered.

"Auntie Nessa, Auntie Nessa!" I heard little children shout. I looked over to my right and was soon tackled to the ground by little snake children. I grinned and laughed genuinely for the first time since my father's death.

"Vanessa, these are my kids. That one's Urcha, the one on your leg is Lilia, and that's Shancus." He said, looking at Darren with a grin. Darren laughed. "Damn, I've missed a lot, huh?" Darren smirked. Evra rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around the woman who came with the children. "You sure did. Darren, this is my wife Merla. Merla, this is my best friend, Darren Shan, the one I told you about." He said. Merla smiled and shook Darren's hand. Soon the rest of our traveling party—consisted of Vancha, Eric, and Harkat—said hello to the various performers that came. I smiled weakly when I saw Mr. Tall approaching.

"So, where's Mr. C?" Evra asked. Darren, Eric, Vancha, and Harkat all fell silent and soon, so did everyone else. I started hyperventilating and my knees started shaking and gave out. Darren caught me. "Vanessa! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Evra gasped, coming to my aid. I shook my head, trying to fight the tears. "I-I can't! No!" my eyes flew open and I saw Mr. Tall staring at me sympathetically. He held out his arms slightly and I stood up and slammed into him, hugging his waist and letting it all out.

"It was my entire fault! I killed him! I killed him, Mr. Tall! I killed him!" I sobbed. Everyone gasped as the news of Mr. Crepsley's death was revealed. Mr. Tall patted my back and made shushing noises. "No you did not, Vanessa. Steve killed him." He said. I shook my head. "No, I did! I couldn't save him! If I had just told him to stay! If I had defied the Princes and took his place he wouldn't have died!" I cried, my knees giving out again.

Mr. Tall pulled me up and carried me to his trailer, just like he did when I was little. When we got into his trailer, he sat down on his black leather futon and he just held me. It was exactly what I needed, it was comforting, he had his hand in raising me and he always knew what I needed. I sniffled when I finally calmed down and spoke.

"Mr. Tall, it's been a few months. I'm tired of everyone having to tread lightly so they won't upset me; I'm tired of crying myself asleep, of hating myself. I'm sick of becoming so helpless and broken when someone even mentions his name." I whispered. "I know, Vanessa." He said quietly. "I need your help." I said. He hesitated and then sat me down next to me so he could turn and face me.

"Mr. Tall…you know what I want, and you know what my plans are. It's time someone overthrows Desmond, and that's exactly what I intend to do. Are you with me?" I asked him seriously, already feeling stronger. He stared at me, long and hard. He seemed to be concentrating.

"Yes, I am." He finally said. I nodded and stood. "Good, we need to tell the performers, right?" I asked him as he stood. He nodded. "Yes, they must know what possible danger they will be in." I nodded and wiped my eyes of the remaining tears, then took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go." I led the way out of the trailer and towards the camp fire. Darren shot up and came to me.

"Vanessa, are you okay?" he asked, holding my face gently as he searched my face. I smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm getting there." I said honestly. He nodded and smiled a little, then took my hand. I sat at the camp fire between Darren and Eric when Mr. Tall made his announcement.

"Okay, everyone, listen up. Many of you had come to the Cirque du Freak for its safety. I am here to tell you that this place will no longer be a guaranteed place of sanctuary, for I am officially entering the War of Scars." He said. Murmurs broke out among the members. Mr. Tall held up his hand and all fell silent.

"Those who wish to leave may, and I will provide for them what they need to get wherever it is that they wish to go. Those who wish to stay and continue to perform, there is the possibility of being attacked." He looked among everyone. "You have been warned, this Cirque is not for the weak hearted, and that goes for its performers as well." He said. He let it sink in for awhile. "That is all." He said before returning to his trailer.

Evra stood up. "I'm staying." He said, looking around at everyone. "You guys should, too. The Cirque and Mr. Tall has always been here for us, offering us help, guidance, and shelter when we needed it most. Now, it's our turn to do the same." He said. He turned to Merla. She glared at him. "Oh boy, don't even say it. I'm staying here and there isn't a thing you can do about it." She sniffed. He smiled. "Good."

"But we can't fight, what happens when we're attacked? We'll all die." A human member said. I shook my head. "No, not necessarily. We—Mr. Tall, Vancha, Darren and myself—can teach you to fight. With the basics, you'll be able to hold your own against a Vampaneze or whatever may come." I said. Everyone lapsed into silence and we all sat there, dismally.

"Aw, hell." Vancha muttered. I looked up at him as he stood up, chest puffed out, hands in fists on his hips. I raised a brow at my fellow Prince. "Where's the ale? We might as well make the best of this night if this family is going to split up, aye?" he said. I grinned and jumped up. "Aye!" I shouted. I ran off to the kitchen trailer, Vancha hot on my heels, and we brought out four kegs of beer and grinned. "Come on, everybody!" I shouted as I saw the Cirque members start smiling.

"Let's make this a night to remember!" I shouted. "Or a night to forget!" Darren shouted, grinning like a mad man. There were cheers and soon after that, we were all in a drunken state, partying, dancing around the camp fire, singing, kissing, and laughing until the sun rose.

**Kind of lame chapter, I know, but it's important. It sets up Mr. Tall's role in the story. Also, I kind of lied. It seems like this story is not going to end where I thought it would, it'll be in about five chapters, I think.**

**Sorry I didn't update, I went out to visit some family all last week and there wasn't an internet connection there so I couldn't update. O:**


	33. Chapter 32

**So I've decided that I'm going to go back and edit my earlier chapters for grammar mistakes and awkward transitions, yeah? :) Well, enjoy! :D**

**Two weeks later…**

"Vanessa, might I have a word with you?"

I was currently in the middle of camp, carefully watching everyone as Vancha, Darren, and Eric helped train some of the members who chose to stay. They had improved quite a bit, they were a dedicated bunch.

I looked back to Mr. Tall. "Yeah, sure. What's up?" I asked as we walked side by side through the camp. "Vanessa…there are a few things that trouble me…" He started. I bit my lip. "Like what?" I asked, even though I already knew part of what he was speaking of. He frowned.

"Well, for one, I cannot see the future past the upcoming battle." He said, his brows furrowed over his black eyes. I looked down at my feet. "Vanessa, whatever you are doing, the course must have changed. I knew I was going to die that night, but now all I can see is the invasion. What are you planning?" He asked me.

"I am overthrowing Desmond, as I've said before." I said. He frowned. "Vanessa, on behalf of Larten and even myself, I must forbid you from pursuing this any longer. Step down and let Vancha handle this." He demanded. I looked up at him and gaped. "What? No! Mr. Tall, that's not fair! I can't do that, I've lost and given to much to this, I have to do this! This is what I was made for, I can feel it!" I shouted indignantly. He glared at me.

"Vanessa, is Darren on board with this?" he asked me. "Of course he is! He's been helping me every step of the way with this!" I shouted.

"Would he still let you do this if he knew you were pregnant with his child?"

I stopped speaking all at once. "Yes, Vanessa, I know you are with child. Is this best for your baby?" he asked me, his tone more gentle now. I looked down, my hand rubbing my lower stomach. "I'm doing this so she can have a better future. Besides, she will already be borne by the time the battle happens." I said quietly. He raised a brow. "And how do you know this?" he asked. "My mother told me how long I was in the womb. Only a month, did you know that?" I asked, looking up at him. He nodded slowly. "Yes, I did…how do you know it is a girl?" he asked curiously. I smiled. "I can just feel it." He nodded.

"Vanessa, I must express another one of my worries. Her birth will be only a few days before the battle." He said. I nodded and swallowed. "Yes, I know…I've been meaning to talk to you about this…" I trailed off. He sighed. "What is it?" he asked, rubbing his temples. It was definitely a lot to take in; I can see why this would stress him out.

"Mr. Tall…I don't know what will happen once I finally face down with Desmond. I need you to promise me that with whatever happens, you will keep her safe." I said sternly. He stopped and stared at me. We stood there, staring into each other's eyes for a long time before he spoke. "On one condition." He said. I nodded, grateful. "Tell Darren." He said before he turned around and left, leaving no room for me to object. I groaned and fell on my butt, resting my forehead on my knees.

I sat there for a good twenty minutes before the members started rushing about, getting ready for the show that was scheduled for tonight. I sighed and stood up, brushing the grass and dead leaves off my pants.

"You okay, boss?" I looked up to see Eric leaning against the trailer across from me, his arms crossed over his chest. I frowned and nodded. "Yeah, I just have to take care of a few things." I muttered, walking down the path between the trailers, heading for my father's trailer. Although he's gone and Darren and I have taken up its residence, I refuse to call it mine. Mr. Tall was kind enough to let me keep Larten's old coffin, a beautiful comfort to me.

"Okay, cool." Eric kicked off the trailer and followed after me, his hands shoved in his pockets. I took a look at him. He'd changed a lot in the short time I'd known him. He'd gone from wearing ripped, blood stained Wranglers and a white t-shirt to wearing tight, dark blue jeans, a white shirt that clung to his muscled chest, black leather jacket, and black Vans slip on shoes. He shook his shaggy golden hair out of his eyes and gave me a look.

"Why are you staring?" he asked. I blushed, embarrassed that I had been caught in the act. I scratched the back of my head and stuck my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket. "Where'd you get the clothes?" I asked. He raised a brow at me. "You forget I'm a rich boy." He answered in a cocky tone. I rolled my eyes at him. Cocky little ass-hat.

"So have you decided if you're going to do anything in the show?" I asked. He shook his head. "Nah, Mr. T has me on security to make sure Vampaneze aren't trying to get in." he replied. I nodded. "Yeah, you and Vancha are probably our best bets. You both know their smell pretty good." I looked at him. "You know not to take them down during the show, right?" I asked him. He nodded, seemingly put out. "Yeah, Mr. T made that pretty clear." He grumbled. I laughed. "Don't worry, you'll get to kick their butts soon enough." I said.

We chatted idly until we came up on my destination. I sighed. _It's either now or never._ I thought. I turned to Eric. "You go ahead and meet with Vancha; I need to talk to Darren about some stuff." I told him. He nodded and walked off. I took a deep breath and entered the trailer where I saw Darren having trouble with buttoning up his shirt. I smiled and helped him.

"You're not nervous, are you?" I asked teasingly. He fidgeted with the hem of his button up. "Yeah, a bit. I know I've been up on stage before but…what if Steve comes? What if they attack us?" he asked. I finished his shirt and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning into him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer, resting his cheek on top of my head. "He won't…I know it. He's too busy trying to figure things up. I feel like he's really confused and troubled…don't ask how I know, I just do…I can feel it." I murmured. Darren sighed. "Yeah, I can, too, but…still." He mumbled. I nodded.

Sighing, I pulled myself away from him. "Darren…there's something I need to tell you…" I trailed off. He looked at me confused, and was about to answer when the door opened and Evra came in with his snake. "Hey guys, show's about to start." He looked me up and down, clicking his tongue. "Vanessa, I know that's not what you're wearing." He said dramatically. I punched him in the arm, smiling. "I just haven't changed yet, stupid." I laughed. Darren grinned and kissed my cheek. "Well, you heard Evra, show's about to start. Can it wait 'till after the show?" he asked. I bit my lip and nodded. "Yeah, but no later." I said sternly.

He nodded and walked out the trailer with Evra, talking animatedly. I smiled. It made me happy that Evra and Darren were together again but…part of me missed having his undivided attention. I rolled my eyes and jogged to Truska's trailer where I found a new uniform waiting for me. My mouth dropped when I saw it.

It was a tight, formfitting, red strapless dress that went to the middle of my thighs, completed with black pumps. I walked slowly to the dress and touched the soft material. I almost cried in joy when I realized that my assumption was correct. I looked over at Truska, who was smiling warmly at me. "You…you made this out of his spare cloak?" I asked, my voice not able to reach above a whisper. She nodded, smiling. I hugged her.

"Thank you, Truska, thank you so much." I whispered. She nodded and ushered me to try it on. I walked out from behind the cover of the small divider and spun in a small circle for her. She applauded, her eyes sparkling when she saw the life in my eyes. "Beautiful." She said. I blushed and sat down, letting her put my hair into a graceful and elegant curly twist. I heard a knock on the door as I was leaning on a chair with one hand, and slipping my last heel on with the other.

"Come in!" I called as I finished putting my shoes on. Eric walked in and stopped, his eyes widening and his cheeks turning slightly pink. I flushed a dark pink at his lingering gaze. He cleared his throat and looked at the floor. "You look real pretty." He mumbled. I smiled. "Thanks." I replied. "Hey Eric, what's taking so long?" Darren soon followed and stopped, staring at me. "God…you look amazing." He smiled, walking up to me and giving me a peck on the lips. I grinned and looked at my feet. "Thanks, Love." I said, looking back up into his warm, brown eyes.

"And, last but not least, the beautiful and talented Vanessa Crepsley!" Mr. Tall announced from the center stage. I walked forward slowly, my old cloak surrounding me, my hood up, just like old times. When I got to center stage, I hesitated. This would be the first time I performed without Mr. Crepsley here with me. I looked to my left out of the corner of my eye, where he would stand, before closing them and flipping my hood off and letting the cloak slide from my shoulders.

I heard a few whistles, hoot, and hollers before snapping my eyes open. I looked to the back and saw Vancha and Eric giving me the thumbs up. I blinked slowly and started my act.

"Hello, Ladies and Gentleman. Before I start my act, I would like to inform you that I am not an illusionist. Everything you see is just that. There is no trick, no sleight of the hand. What you see, is what you get." I said. There were a few whispers, anticipating what was to come.

I stepped to the side as Darren came on stage, a bucket of water in each hand. He placed one bucket a meter to my left, and the other a meter to my right. He stood up straight, his back to the audience, and gave me a wink before walking off stage. I slowly raised both my hands, bringing the water up out of the buckets beside me. I heard a few gasps and excited whispers as I started twirling the water in the air, splashing the audience every once and a while. I was in the middle of the performance when I felt it.

I threw the water up in the air and froze it in a suspended animation. There were many 'ohs' and 'ahs' and clapping. I smiled. "I will now pick a volunteer." I said, waving my hand gracefully back and forth among the audience. I closed my eyes and after a few more seconds, stopped, opening them slowly.

"You."


	34. Chapter 33: Because

**Okay, so, I usually don't do this, but I have a shout out right here. **

**Raven, I like freaking love you. Your reviews on this fic make me smile, they're so nice! :D**

**That is all. You may now carry on and read :D I hope you like it!**

"You."

I nearly shit myself when I saw that she was pointing at me. I felt the blood drain from my face as people stared at me. Why me? How did she know I was here? I got past the other vampires with ease. _Because she's different._ "You better get on that stage before I do." A guy said, causing ripples of giggles and chuckles through the crowd. I slowly stood to my feet, my eyes locked on her bright green ones.

I walked up on the stage, still looking into her eyes, and stopped before her. When she wore heels, she came up to about my nose, opposed to no heels when she came to my shoulder. _How could I have hated her? How could I have wanted to kill her? How could I have killed her father?_ All these thoughts rushed through my head as a battle raged inside me.

_Kill the bitch, we hate her._

_No, I can't, I love her!_

_We hate her._

_Who is 'we'?_

"You seem troubled." She said, circling me, avoiding my eyes. I gulped. _Oh, God, what is she going to do to me? Maybe I _should _kill her, before she can kill me._ I nodded slowly in response to her question. "You could say that." I said carefully, watching her. The crowd was soaking this up. They were staring intently, not a single sound was made. I eased my hand into my pocket where a pocket knife was hiding. Her eyes then met mine. I stopped.

She was looking at me with concern, compassion, and…fear. I put my hand down slowly and let it hang by my sides. I saw something flicker in her eyes, but I'm not sure what it was. She backed away slowly, still circling. I slightly tensed as the water above our heads thawed. Quick as a flash, she brought the water towards her, froze it, and threw it at me in one fluid motion. I ducked and rolled out of the way.

I looked up at her. She was facing the audience and she…winked at me? I stared dumbly. She tried to kill me and then winked at me…? She did it again. "Make it good." She murmured low enough so that only I could hear it. I nodded imperceptibly and flipped over her as she shot more water at me. The crowd was gasping and cheering and just couldn't get enough of it. I could see the smile in her eyes.

Soon she stopped where she was standing, threw the water in the air, and let the drops just stay still there. She smiled and bowed and her act was concluded. She waved her hand towards me. "Please, give it up for my amazing partner, Steve Leonard!" she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me to center stage. I stared at her, shocked, and she raised our clasped hands in the air and pulled us into a bow.

She looked to her left and stared at the tall ringmaster for a long time before nodding and pulling me back stage. _What the hell is she doing? What if someone sees us?_ I tried to pull away but she stopped and glared at me before she pulled on my arm again and kept walking. She dragged me through the deserted camp and into the forest next to it. She stopped when we came to a clearing where she dropped my arm.

We stood like that for a long time, silent, before she spoke.

"Steve…why are you here?" she asked, looking into my eyes. I hesitated. "I don't know." I whispered. She glared at me. "Steve, don't lie to me." She said. I looked down as I pulled out the pocket knife. Flipping it open, I looked up at her. She looked sad. "You came to finish what you started." She said quietly. I nodded slowly. "I did…I was going to wait through the show and find you after and kill you, but…" I trailed off.

"But what?" she asked, slowly approaching me. I clenched the knife in my hand. "I…can't" I whispered. She gently put her hand on mine and looked up into my eyes. "Why?" She asked. I yanked my hand from her. "I don't know!" I shouted at her. I started pacing back and forth in the meadow, getting angrier with each step. Finally, I groaned and fell on my ass, dropping my head into my hands.

"I want to kill you…so bad. I hate you so much. But…I can't kill you…I…I don't hate you, I love you, so so much. But…we want to kill you and we hate you so much." I said hoarsely. She dropped in front of me and gently held my face, pulling it up so she was looking into my eyes.

"Who is 'we'?" She asked softly. "I don't know…they won't leave me alone…Vanessa, they want you dead." She sucked in her breath. I stared intently at her. She was beautiful.

Her pale skin. Her full, pink lips. Her hazelnut curls. Her small hands. Her delicate body. Her sparkling green eyes that were gazing into mine, full of fear, concern, and compassion. I couldn't take it.

I took hold of her face and brought her lips to mine, kissing her roughly. She gasped in surprise and I took the opportunity to slide my tongue into her mouth, pressing it against hers. I could feel her hands on my chest. Even though I knew she was just trying to push me away, the contact felt good and nearly drove me crazy.

I tore myself away from her and stared at her as she laid on the ground gasping for breath.

"Steve! Steve, what did you do to her?" I looked up to see Darren bursting into the clearing, followed by Vancha March and that kid Eric that Vanessa re-blooded. Darren fell to the ground and pulled Vanessa into him. "Are you okay? What'd he do to you? Are you hurt?" he asked her. She looked up at me, eyes wide. "I-I'm fine, he didn't hurt me." She said quietly. Darren looked up at me, confused and angry.

"Steve, I swear to God—" he began.

"I kissed her." I whispered, appalled with myself. I hated her! Why did I kiss her?

_Because you love her._

How could I have done this? That look on her face…the look in her eyes…why?

_Because you love her._

Why the hell is all this shit happening to me?

_Because you love her._

I stumbled backwards and ran away, as fast as I could. I knew I didn't need to, Vanessa wouldn't let them hurt me, I know that now, but I couldn't stand to look at her. She wasn't mine anymore, she was Darren's. And that thought alone nearly drove me insane.

_Because I loved her._


	35. Chapter 34: Changes in the wind

"You're sure he didn't hurt you?" I sighed.

Darren and I were currently in my father's trailer, discussing the previous events. "Yes, Darren. I'm fine." I said for what felt like the hundredth time. Darren frowned and stopped his nervous pacing long enough to stare at me confused. "He just…kissed you?" He asked, shocked and a bit angry. I nodded. "Yeah, it was really weird. I honestly believed that he still hated me…" I hesitated. Darren noticed.

"What? Did something happen?" I frowned. "He kept saying we…he said 'We hate you' and 'We want to kill you'" I looked up at him. "I think he's going mad, Darren. He's not doing this of his own will, I'm absolutely certain of it now." I urged. Darren sighed and sat next to me on the coffin we shared, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I guess." He murmured. I sighed.

"I just wish I knew how he snuck past Eric and Vancha…" he trailed off. "Mr. Tiny has ways of doing things." I muttered, thinking of our late mentor. I bit my lip. "Darren…" I trailed off. "Mmm?" I sighed. "I have something to tell you…something big. It could affect how we carry out this war." I said quietly. He slowly looked at me, a strange look on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked cautiously. I blushed.

"Well, nothing's wrong, it's just…just…" I took in a deep breath. "Darren, I'm pregnant." I finally said. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "What? How is that even possible? Are you serious?" I couldn't tell if he was upset so I carefully answered. "Well, it's not all that surprising, to be honest. I mean, Arra could give birth, so it's not a surprise that I can too…Are you mad?" I asked worriedly. He blinked. "Vanessa, how can I be mad? We can have a family together!" He said excitedly. "Do you know if it's a girl or a boy yet?" he asked.

"It's a girl." I smiled. He grinned and pulled me up. "Vanessa, this is fantastic! We have to spread the news! We can make an announcement at dinner! God, everyone will be so excited! And Merla and Evra could be her God Parents!" he said excitedly. I nodded. He was missing something crucial. "I promise she won't be in danger." I said. That's when his excitement faded. He groaned. "This is the worst time for us." He said, holding my waist. I smiled.

"She's due in a couple of weeks. Mr. Tall told me she would come before the Vampaneze attacked and he promised to keep her safe." Darren nodded hesitantly. "That's awfully fast…" he trailed off. I shrugged. "I know, but I'm okay with that. I get to see her sooner than normal mothers would." I said, smiling down at myself.

Darren lent me his hand and pulled me up, hugging me. "Okay, well let's get going." He said. I nodded and we left the trailer and headed towards the camp fire to eat. Mr. Tall joined us on our way. "I trust you told Master Shan?" He asked. I nodded. "Yes sir I did." I smiled. He gave me a half smile in return.

"Evra! My gods, I have the greatest news!" Darren shouted at his best friend. I laughed. Darren was so cute when he smiled. Evra grinned. "Yeah, what?" he asked. Darren was practically jumping with excitement. "Dude! Vanessa and I are going to be parents!" he announced to the whole camp. There were cheers and so many congratulations.

"Man, are you serious? This is great!" Evra said, giving his friend a man hug. "Yeah, Vanessa and I wanted to you if you and Merla would be her god parents." Darren grinned, looking back at me. I nodded enthusiastically and joined Darren.

Evra looked at Merla and grinned. I could tell the answer was yes. "Auntie Nessa, am I going to have a little sister?" Shancus asked excitedly. I grinned. "Why yes you will, Shancus!" I said. He cheered happily and went off to play with his siblings. I smiled.

"That'll be us soon, babe." Darren said as he wrapped his arms around me from behind. I sighed in response. _If we win this war, you mean._ Darren seemed to know what I was thinking. He kissed my neck. "We'll win this war, Vanessa. We can do this." He said. I just nodded in response.

"Steve, where were you last night?" Steve tore his gaze from the night sky and turned to look into the doorway of the room. They had been in his hometown for a few weeks and found his house to be empty. He was currently in his old bedroom, sitting on the windowsill that Vanessa had climbed in and out of so many times.

_Vanessa…_ He remembered last night, though it felt much more like a dream. He didn't know why, but he just had to go to the Cirque. He somehow managed to slip by the Vampires guarding the place unnoticed and sat in the middle of the room, making sure no one could see him.

Then, when her act came around, she picked him. She had closed her eyes and pointed into the crowd randomly, but he knew that she picked him deliberately. She had made him part of her act…made him feel loved and appreciated. And then she had taken him to the woods outside the Cirque to talk to him…she didn't try to kill him, even though he deserved. Gods know he's tried to kill her many a time, and that he was the reason why she's been orphaned.

She was worried about him and she still cared…and he kissed her. He had kissed her.

Steve looked back out at the stars, ignoring Gannen's question. "You visited her, didn't you my Lord?" He asked. Steve heard the door close and his bed creak as Gannen sat down. Steve nodded. "She picked me as a volunteer in the show." He said.

"Do you still care for her?" Gannen asked Steve. He was beginning to worry for his young Lord. He had become very quiet, though he could hear Steve scream in his sleep, and whimper and groan. Sometimes, he would hear Steve talking to himself during the day when he thought everyone was asleep.

'_Are you sure we should do it?_'

'_Do we have to kill her? I was thinking she could rule by my side._'

'_Oh, of course…I forgot, we hate her…she's only getting in the way._'

"I kissed her."

Gannen blinked. Steve had interrupted his thoughts and…and he thought Steve said that…no, he couldn't have. Steve turned to Gannen. "She was worried for me, Gannen. She still cares for me, after everything I've done to her…and I kissed her." Gannen looked at his Lord sympathetically.

"It doesn't matter now, though. She has to die." Steve said sadly, looking out the window. "She keeps ruining things…getting in the way…if I don't get rid of her, I won't be able to get anything done." Steve said. Gannen nodded slowly.

"I'm not sure that the War of Scars is in our best interest anymore, Steve." Gannen said slowly. Steve looked at him, shocked. "What do you mean?" He asked, curious. Gannen frowned. "There's been talk…although the Hunters meant to kill you have assembled…they're not doing it. Think about it, if the War of Scars is their priority, why are you here?" Gannen asked. Steve frowned.

"I don't follow, Gannen." Steve said. "Steve, the Princess is starting a Revolution. Things are changing." Gannen said. Steve frowned. "A revolution against Mr. Tiny." Steve's eyes widened. _Who is we?_ The words he often wondered echoed in his head, over and over and over. Steve came to his feet suddenly, making Gannen jump.

_I know who we is. Not anymore, I will not be a we. I will be me._

He rushed to his closet, frantically changing his clothes. He swore as he struggled to put his boots on. "My Lord, what are you doing?" Gannen asked warily. "I think you mean what are we doing." He said, looking up at him. Gannen raised a brow. "Gannen, you're right. Don't you see? We're fighting the wrong enemy here! It's Desmond we're after, not Vanessa! Come on, we're leaving." He pulled Gannen by the collar and ran, dragging Gannen down the stairs and out of the house.

Things were going to change, and Desmond was going to pay.


	36. Chapter 35

**Sorry, short chapter. I really don't like this chapter to be honest, but it needed to happen so I could set up the end of the story…which is upon us! I'm so excited :) I'll be able to put up its sequel soon and the story will come to an end.**

"I thought you might come back." I said, a small smile on my lips. Darren, Vancha, Eric, and Mr. Tall looked up to see Steve standing behind me, his hands shoved into his jean pockets, Gannen by his side. I stood up and turned to face Steve.

"What do you want?" Eric asked uneasily, coming to my side. Steve stared at me when he said this. "I'm here to fight." He said. I raised a brow. "With us or against us?" I asked him, a smile playing on my lips. "I fight with you." Steve said. I smiled.

"Great." I sat back down next to Darren and waved an arm around the fire. "Join us; you made it just in time." I said. Gannen walked over and sat by his brother, who gave him a small smile. Steve hesitantly sat next to Darren.

I looked to Mr. Tall. "How do things look?" I asked him. He stared into the fire for awhile before answering. "There will be no invasion, but…There will be a battle." He looked up at Darren, Steve and I. "You three have to get ready. Vanessa…" My hand fluttered to my stomach. Mr. Tall smiled softly. "She will be fine." I sighed in relief.

"Who are we fighting, if not the Vampaneze?" Darren asked. "Mr. Tiny." Steve said, looking into the fire. Darren slowly turned to his old friend. "We're fighting Mr. Tiny himself?" He asked, slightly fearful. Steve nodded. "Yeah, but don't get me wrong, he _will_ have an army." Steve said, looking back at Darren. Darren nodded slowly.

"Then we need to train even harder." I said, looking at Steve and Darren. They nodded. I rubbed my stomach when I felt my little one kick. I smiled softly and looked at Darren. He grinned and wrapped an arm around me. Steve stared at us for a few moments before speaking. "Vanessa, is there something I'm missing here?" he asked. Darren stiffened slightly and pulled me close to him. I hesitated before standing up and walking in front of him.

"Steve," I said as I grasped his hand. "Please be gentle." I murmured. He nodded, confused, as I placed his hand on my stomach. His eyes widened when he felt my baby kick. He looked up at me. "Is it…." He trailed off and looked at his best friend. Darren nodded. "Vanessa and I are parents." He said. Everyone watched Steve, waiting for his reaction.

She was pregnant…and it was Darren's child. Steve took a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. Well, he might as well make his confession too… "I have a son." He blurted. Vanessa and Darren stared at him in surprise. Mr. Tall stared at Steve warily, he must have known already. Gannen was looking at Steve, a look of warning on his face.

"Really? What's his name? What's he like?" Vanessa asked, sitting down carefully in front of Steve. He bit his lip. "You're going to hate me for this." He looked at Darren. "Both of you will." Darren narrowed his eyes at Steve. "His name is Darius…and he's a Half-Vampaneze."

_SMACK!_

Steve stared down at his feet, ashamed. He had deserved Vanessa's back hand. He looked up at her to find tears in her eyes. "Steve, how could you! You just took away his life! Do you know how hard it is to grow up in a world like this?" She shouted at him. He looked down at his feet and nodded. "Yes…I'm sorry…it had been all part of my plan for revenge…" he looked at Darren.

"Darren…he's your nephew." Darren's eyes widened and he punched Steve in the face, breaking his nose and sending him falling backwards off the log he was sitting on. Steve groaned and held his nose, staring up at Darren apologetically. "Darren, I'm sorry, if I could take it back—"

"It doesn't matter if you could, Steve! You can't take it back, life doesn't work that way!" He shouted. Steve looked up to see everyone staring at him with hatred and appall…except for Vanessa, who wouldn't even look at him. "Vanessa…"

"Get up." She said. Steve hesitated but did as she said. She looked up at him with a blank expression. "Steve, bring me to him." Steve nodded slowly and walked off in the direction of Annie's house.

"How's your nose?" Steve looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and shrugged. I sighed. "You deserved it, you know." I said. He nodded. "I deserve a lot more that a broken nose." He muttered. "It's not your fault." I whispered, fighting the tears. "Vanessa, I've left you an orphan." He said harshly. "I'm not good, Vanessa. I'm not." He said. I shook my head.

"You're lost, Steve, that's all." I said as we approached a house. I knocked on the door and heard footsteps. The door opened and I saw Annie…she had changed so much, she was beautiful. Her eyes widened when she saw us. "Steve…Vanessa…?" Her eyes fluttered and she fainted. I squeaked and reached out to catch her.

"Dad? Is that you?" I looked up to see a boy of around eight years old. My heart broke and ached for him, he looked so much like Steve and so much like Darren. I couldn't help but cry. "Darius…Darius, this is your…aunt." Steve said, taking Annie from me. Darius' eyes widened. "But she's a vampire!" he squeaked as he trembled. I nodded. "Both me and your uncle, Darren, are." I stared at him.

"Steve, he's precious." I whispered, staring at this beautiful boy. I walked towards Darius, who was trembling with fear. I dropped to my knees and smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Vanessa." I whispered. He just stared. I smiled. "You're going to have a cousin soon." I said, rubbing my stomach. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a little o.

"Really?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, it's a girl." I smiled. He bit his lip. "Are you here to hurt me?" he asked fearfully. I shook my head. "I came to turn you into a vampire, though it will hurt." He looked horrified. "Darius, I don't want you to live a life where you have to kill people, do you?" He shook his head. I nodded.

"I've been a Vampire for my whole life, and that was hard. I can't imagine how hard it would be to be a Vampaneze since childhood. He bit his lip. "Very hard." He whimpered. I nodded.

"Don't pull away until I say…"


	37. Chapter 36: Welcome to the Family

_Sorry it took a while my amazing readers and reviewers! All I've been able to write were chapters for the sequel and for my new Infernal Devices fic. BUUUUT here's a new chapter! I hope you enjoy it! I promise that things are going to start picking up after this chapter :D Like, it's starting to look like I'm going to have a 40 chapter fic here._

_Without further ado!_

**Three weeks later…**

"Push, woman! PUSH!" Steve was yelling at me as Darren held my hand. "DON'T TELL ME WHAT THE HELL TO DO! IT'S MY BABY, DAMNIT! NOT YOURS!" I shouted in response. "Just a few more pushes Vanessa!" Merla said soothingly, giving Steve a death glare for getting me riled up.

This went on for another twenty minutes or so before I collapsed on the bed, panting. I smiled when I heard crying. Within a few moments, I was holding my baby for the first time. I smiled at her. "Hello, little one." I said gently, rubbing circles into her back with my thumb. "She's beautiful." Darren murmured, smiling at me. I smiled back. "Have you decided upon a name?" Mr. Tall asked. I looked at Darren and he nodded. I smiled.

"Yes, her name is Jane. Jane Kallistê Shan."*

"Isn't it kind of weird that she's human?" Steve asked suddenly, sniffing the baby. I froze and sniffed her as well. "Wow…that is kind of weird." I murmured curiously. I looked to Darren. "Maybe it's because you're a half vampire still?" I wondered. He shrugged. "Maybe." He said as I handed Jane to him. He smiled at her. "Gods, she's so precious." He whispered. I sat up slowly, my head dizzy. I frowned.

"I don't feel so good." I said, queasy. "You just need blood." Mr. Tall reassured me. I nodded slowly and sat up a little more, taking a sip of the water that Merla had handed me. Steve walked over and pushed his sleeve up and made a small cut on his arm, thrusting it in my face. "Here." He said. I smiled thankfully and sucked some of his blood.

"Thanks." I replied after I rubbed spit onto the cut. He smiled softly. "It's the least I can do." He replied. I smiled back up at him. I looked to Merla. She smiled, already knowing what I was going to say. "I know, I was just about to go off and get him and the kids." She grinned as she stepped out of my father's trailer and off towards the tent she shared with her family and husband, Evra.

I turned to Mr. Tall and smiled. "Want to hold her? She's practically your grandchild after all." Mr. Tall offered me a small but warm smile as he nodded and Darren gave Jane to him. I watched him as his black eyes grew warmer when he looked at Jane's face. He gave her a barely perceptible smile as he rocked her back and forth, singing to her softly to keep her from crying.

I smiled. _So this must've been what it was like when he was raising me._ I thought as Evra walked in. He grinned. "Oh, is that my niece? She's so…chubby." He said, snickering when Merla threw one of her ears at the side of his face. I rolled my eyes at him, a smile on my face. "Well, duh! She's a baby! A lot of babies are a little chubby when they're born." I said, defending my little child. Evra grinned in response.

Mr. Tall then passed along Jane to Evra and Merla, who bent down to let their kids see her. I looked at Steve and saw him staring at everyone else as they crooned over Jane. Soon, Jane was returned to me and I held her, smiling. I looked up at Steve. "Do you want to hold her?" I asked quietly as Evra and his family and Mr. Tall left to let me relax. He hesitated before slowly nodding, stretching his arms out for her.

"Don't drop her." Darren muttered, annoyed that I had forgiven Steve so easily. I rolled my eyes at him. "He won't, Darren." Steve sat in the chair next to the bed Mr. Tall temporarily put into the trailer for my pregnancy. Steve smiled and bounced her lightly, making shushing noises at her until she finally fell asleep in his arms.

Steve smiled and gave her back to me. "She's beautiful, you guys…she really is." He said, looking at me and Darren's faces. Darren smiled a little. "She is, isn't she?" he asked, petting the peach fuzz on her head. Steve then excused himself and Darren and I were alone together with Jane.

"I wonder what she'll look like when she's older…" I mused. Darren smiled. "I hope she has your eyes." Darren said to me. I smiled. "I don't know, I think if she had the same golden brown ones like yours it would be just as lovely." I said, smiling up at him. He grinned and gave me a peck on the lips before giving Jane one on her forehead.

"This is so exciting! Maybe, after the war, we can settle down in the Cirque, like Evra and Merla, and we could have a family, give Jane a little brother or two." I said enthusiastically to Darren. His smile faltered then. "The war…" he murmured, his eyebrows knitting together. "I'm happy we have her, don't get me wrong, but this is the worst time to start a family." He sighed, laying his head down on my chest, right above my heart.

I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair. "its okay, Darren. She'll be safe, Mr. Tall will protect her, I know he will. And…I know we'll win the war, I just have this feeling…" I murmured. He sighed and rolled his head over a little so he could look at me. "How do you know? Mr. Tiny could just be luring us into a false sense of security." He said depressingly. I shook my head.

"There's something wrong, Darren. The balance…it's starting to tilt, but for the better." I told him, choosing my words raised a brow, clearly not understanding me. I sighed. "Mr. Tiny is slipping; he doesn't have that constant control anymore. We were his biggest, most important puppets of them all, and now we're turning against him. He lost control of me long ago, and he lost control of everyone else when Steve killed my father." I said, trying to get him to understand.

"I don't know…." He said, sitting up. I shook my head. "Darren, I do though! Mr. Tall, he can't see what lies ahead of us, he said that the course of the future has changed and he _doesn't know what it contains_. That must mean that Mr. Tiny doesn't either, which keeps everyone in the dark. This gives us a huge advantage, don't you see?" I urged.

We were silent for a while after that before Darren nodded slowly. "Yes…yes, I see now, but Vanessa…" he looked at me uneasily. I frowned. "Yeah…?" I asked, confused. He frowned. "Why did we fight back? How and why did he lose his grip on you?" he asked me. I frowned.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I know that someone freed me…someone who has had enough of Desmond's antics. They said it was time to put his evil and hurtful schemes to an end and bring peace to the world once again." I said.

"Who are 'they'?" Darren asked. "The Spirits of the Earth, the cosmos." I said. If there was anything that I was sure of, it was that. They had come to me in a dream and had told me exactly what I had to do—get rid of Mr. Tiny.

"When did all this happen?" he asked me. I looked at my feet. "After dad saved me and Evra from Murlough." I answered quietly. Darren nodded, letting this all soak in. A bit later, he stood up. I looked up at him.

"I'm going to get us some food, and then you need to sleep. The battle is bound to happen soon and there's no way I'm going to let you fight in this condition." Darren said. I smiled weakly at him, exhaustion setting deep in my bones. "Okay, sounds good to me." I said quietly before he smiled and left. I sighed then.

If only he knew how soon we'd fight for our lives; for our clans; for the Cirque; for Jane; for the world; for the universe.

If only he knew…

_* Greek; pronounced Kuh-lee-sta_


	38. Chapter 37: Tonight

_Okay, so, I know this is a ridiculously short chapter, but it needed to be this short so I could fit all the action in the last two chapters. GASP! Yes, I said it, the last two :D Almost there! But yeah, the last two chapters are more like one chapter split into two parts and I'll finish writing it up and post it for y'all as soon as I can. I have summer assignments I have to do so I don't know how long it'll be before I post them, definitely by next Wednesday though (:_

_Please enjoy! (:_

I was laying in the grassy field right outside the Cirque with Jane when I looked to my left and suddenly found that Mr. Tall was sitting beside me, gazing at the sky like I had been.

"How are you, Vanessa?" he asked me quietly. I sat up slowly, careful not to wake up Jane. "I'm good, my strength is back." It'd been a week and a half since I gave birth and I already was back in shape and ready to go—I have flitting, Steve, and Vancha to thank for that. Steve and Vancha had decided to attack me around every corner of the Cirque, making sure the baby hadn't dulled my sense.

Mr. Tall nodded. "I see…that is good, then. Very good." He looked down at Jane and rubbed her head with his thumb. "If something should happen, where should I take her? We both know that the Cirque would not be safe for her." He said. I sighed. I knew we'd have this conversation, and it was one that I desperately wanted to avoid.

"To Alan Morris." I said, smiling at the memory of that kid. He was quiet and shy, and was a great guy. I wonder how his life has been… Mr. Tall nodded in agreement. "Yes…I think humanity would do her good." He said. I nodded. "Yeah…she'd be well hidden among them. I think this world would surely kill her." I said painfully. Vampirism was definitely not something I wanted for this child, not after Darren and I had been cursed with this life…then again, I never would have met Darren had I not been a vampire.

"Tonight."

I turned to him, my eyes wide. "What? How do you know?" I gasped. Mr. Tall sighed. "I can feel it in my very being, Vanessa. Tonight he will come." He said. I shuddered. "Does Evra know? He wasn't going to let the kids stay." I said. He nodded. "Yes, I am sending a few of the Cirque members away tonight; they'll be taking Shancus, Urcha, Lilia, and Jane away from here." I nodded. "Are you staying tonight?" I asked him. He slowly nodded. "Yes…I know that my demise is still very possible, but I will fight." He said slowly. I nodded.

I had to protect him as well. I couldn't leave my daughter defenseless if we lose. "Thank you, Mr. Tall. For everything." I said, leaning into his side. He wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my shoulder with his thumb.

"But of course, Miss Crepsley, but of course."


	39. Chapter 38: The End Part I

_Oh my God, this is what you've all been waiting for…THE FINAL TWO CHAPTERS OF THE VAMPIRE GAME! My goodness, this is an emotional moment for me…well, here's Part one of the Finale! Enjoy and review if it so pleases you :D_

**Chapter 38: Beginning of the End, Part I**

"Vanessa?" I looked up from my thigh where I was strapping a throwing knife to and at the face of the man who just entered my father's trailer. I sighed and turned back to my thigh. "What, Steve? If you're trying to talk me out of fighting, tough luck, it's not going to happen." I sniffed. He sighed.

"That's not what I came here to do." I finished securing the knife and turned to Steve, giving him a good look over. His hair was shorter so it didn't cover his eyes—Truska must have cut it for him for the battle—and he wore a black battle suit that hugged his body. He had a sword and a shotgun strapped to his back, with a round shield strapped over that. I smiled softly when I saw him wearing a black, beat up pair of low rise Converse. _Some things never change._ I thought.

He strode towards me and pulled me into an embrace. I slowly, hesitantly, returned it and there we stood for a long time, his head resting on mine. "Steve, you know you can't use that gun, right?" I muttered into his chest. I felt the vibrations of his chuckle rumble through his chest. "I never took such an oath; I thought I could use it as an advantage when I finally killed you…" he said, trailing off awkwardly. I chuckled at this confession and pulled away.

"That wouldn't have helped your chances, Steve." I smirked. He shrugged and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Vanessa? Steve?" We turned towards the door to see Darren walk in. I bit my lip and we rushed towards each other, tightly embracing each other. "Vanessa…please be careful." He whispered. I nodded. "You too, I don't want to have to save your butt out there." I joked. Darren pulled away and gave me a small smile.

"You won't have to." He assured me. I nodded hesitantly. Darren turned to Steve and they shared a look before giving each other a big man hug. I smiled weakly. These past few weeks have been good for them; their bond started to strengthen. "I'm going to go find Evra." I said as I pulled on my red cloak. I walked outside into the sunset and walked to Evra's tent. "Hey bubba." I said quietly he turned around and looked at me, a small smile on his face.

"Hey Nessa." He said. He gave me a hug and we stayed like that for a long time. All the while, the only thing I could think was what if this was the last time I'd see him again? I pulled away and took something out of the front of my corset. I rubbed it between my hands and kissed it before offering it to Evra. "Kiss it for good luck?" I asked in a small voice. He smiled at me and kissed the snake scale he gave me nearly twenty years ago for good luck on my first day of school.

"I love you, Evra." I muttered, trying not to cry. Evra was like a brother to me, he was the only family I had left. "I love you too, Vanessa." He said, kissing the top of my head before turning back to his weapons.

I left the tent and went searching for Mr. Tall. "Vanessa." I turned to see Eric walking up behind me. I smiled weakly at my apprentice. He had come along a lot in the past few months we've been together and I was proud of him. I noticed that he even set aside his rich boy clothes for a battle suit. "Hey Eric." I smiled, leaning into him as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Big day, eh boss?" he asked, using the term of endearment he came up for me. I smirked. "Yeah, real big day." I murmured, looking up at the sky. "Hey, listen boss…there's something we need to talk about." He said, rubbing his chin. I raised a brow. "And that is?"

"Well, I was practicing with Prince Vancha when I pulled out that pistol you gave me. He freaked out and told me to get rid of the damn thing." He muttered. I looked at him. "Did you?" I asked. He shook his head. "Nah, it's in my tent. I get that I should have listened since he was a Prince and all, but you told me to keep it and not only are you my boss, but you're also a Princess, so I thought it'd be best to leave It be." He replied.

I nodded. "Good, go get it, you're going to need it." He blinked at me in surprise. "But Vampires aren't allowed to use guns." He commented in a confused manner. I stared at him long and hard. "I never made you commit to that, Eric. It's not because I simply forgot, I didn't it for a reason. If we have any hopes in winning this war, we're going to need some firepower." I said. He nodded and left to get his gun.

"Going against tradition as always, are we?" I looked up to see Mr. Tall standing in front of me. I shrugged. "Been doing it since the day I was born, might as well keep up the reputation, eh?" I smirked. Mr. Tall just rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you are ready for this?" he asked me. I nodded. "I was born to do this, Mr. Tall. I can feel it." I looked up at him. "And Jane?" I asked timidly. Darren and I had already said our goodbyes to our child and for some reason, I knew that I wouldn't see her in a long time, if not ever again. It was painstaking to watch as a human Cirque member took her away.

"They are safe." He said. I nodded. Good, good… "Vanessa, I cannot guarantee your safety." He said suddenly, and immediately I knew what he meant. "I know, Mr. Tall, just watch out for the humans and us Vampires and Vampaneze will take care of ourselves." I said sternly. He turned his icy black eyes towards me. "And by that you mean you're going to go out of your way to protect everyone?" he asked, somewhat angry. I nodded stiffly.

"Vanessa, your father would not want this…" he trailed off. I turned on him then. "Don't tell me what ,my father would or would not want, Hibernius." I seethed, not caring about how disrespectful I was being to one of the most powerful beings in the universe. "Don't you understand? I have to protect them! I have to keep them safe, I can't let anyone else die…I can't lose anyone else." I said angrily.

I blinked, astonished, when I realized that the pain in my face came from a mighty slap from Mr. Tall. I stared at him, incredulously, as I held my cheek.

"Vanessa, you are not the only one who has suffered. Larten was one of my best friends, Vanessa. Stop being so selfish, you think that _you_ can't lose anyone else? What happens when you're so busy protecting everyone else that you lose yourself? Vanessa, we all know what we are risking, you need to accept that and look out for yourself. You cannot protect everyone."

I gaped at him as he stared at me, livid. That was the most I had ever heard him talk, the most passionate I had ever seen him get over something. I trembled as tears welled up in my eyes. He was right…

"I'm sorry…I just…if I lose anyone else, I shall have no one left." I blubbered as I began to cry. Mr. Tall pulled me into his arms and hummed a song to me, a calming song. After awhile, we simultaneously pulled apart. "It is time, Vanessa." He said. I nodded and we left towards the middle of camp where the rest of our militia was.

I stared at all of them as we marched towards the place Mr. Tall saw in his vision. They all seemed so serious and determined…and it _killed_ me. "They shouldn't be fighting." I said quietly. I was walking in the front, along with Mr. Tall, Vancha, Gannen, Steve and Darren. Eric and Evra were a bit behind, speaking quietly to one another. Vancha patted my back. "They chose this, Vanessa." He reminded me. "But they shouldn't have had to." I said angrily.

It was great that we had more numbers but…I couldn't stand it. They were humans, with families. They were soft, they weren't like us. They haven't lived what we have, they haven't seen what we've seen…they weren't Vampires, they weren't Vampaneze, and they weren't immortal.

I stopped moving when the wind picked up. It was…strange. I sniffed the air. "You smell it too?" Steve murmured. I nodded. "It reeks of death and…something else." I said, scrunching my nose as I started to walk again. Mr. Tall nodded. "Black magic, necromancy if you will." He said.

"Desmond?"

"Yes. He's creating an army."

"Out of what?"

"The dead."

I ground my teeth. How dare he! Just the thought made me want to wring his chubby throat in my hands. "Calm yourself, Vanessa. The battle is upon us." Gannen said, a look of unease on his face. Mr. Tall nodded slowly. "Yes…yes he is right." I turned to Eric and gave him a nod, signaling him to alert the rest of the group.

Darren took my hand and laced his fingers with mine. I looked up at him to see his face hardened with determination. His soft, loveable features had been hardened into that of a warrior.

_Even Darren's changed…if he's changed that much, how must I seem…?_

"If it isn't my favorite son?" we all looked up to see Desmond Tiny standing on the top of a hill. Mr. Tall merely narrowed his eyes at him. Desmond sighed. "Stupid boy, you were never as smart as your sister. _She_ doesn't get involved because s_he_ takes care of the live I have so generously given her."

"You didn't give them jack squat so you can just shut the hell up." I snapped. Desmond narrowed his eyes at me. "Tsk tsk, what a temper and what a naughty tongue. Didn't your parents ever teach you manners?" he sneered. I grounded my teeth together. I didn't like it when he talked about my parents. He gave me a devious smirk as he snapped his fingers. "Oh well, better late than never, yes?" he cackled as his army dug their way out from the earth.

I froze when their commanding leaders finally came out from the ground, their once lively and bright eyes now dead and emotionless.

"Vanessa…" Steve and Darren said. They knew how hard this was for me, especially how hard it was for me to control my temper. I started shaking. "Desmond, you fucking bastard, I'm going to kill you for this." I growled as the undead army made their ways towards us.

I turned to Eric, who obediently came to my side. "Got your guns?" I asked him and Steve. They smirked and pulled out their weapons. I smirked and pulled out my own gun. Vancha and Darren's eyes widened. Gannen seemed unsurprised as he took out his sword, as did Mr. Tall. "Vanessa! You can't us a gun!" Darren shouted. I smirked at him.

"Dad never liked the idea of his little girl being anywhere near defenseless." I said, giving him a wink. I pulled out another pistol and held them up, aiming at my parent's foreheads. I felt my hands shake as I stared at their pale and decayed faces. I took a deep breath.

_They're not you parents; they're some cheap look a likes. Your parents are dead. You're an orphan, your parents are dead._

I watched as they took out their swords and knives, ready to attack me. I closed my eyes.

"Please forgive me"

I whispered as I pulled the trigger.

The only thing you could hear was their bodies dropping to the ground.

Then, all hell broke loose and the final battle began.


	40. Chapter 39: The End Part II

_**The chapter you've all been waiting for…**_

**Chapter 39: The Beginning of the End Part II**

**Vanessa's Fight Song: Destabilise by Enter Shikari**

I jumped into action, as did the anti Desmond militia and his army of zombies. I darted across the rocky plain and jumped onto a rock and pushed off of it, flipping sideways in the air as I shot more zombies right in the forehead. I soon dropped the guns and took out my swords, slashing and stabbing at zombies.

_Duck, stab, punch kick._

_Slash, duck, roll, flip, hack._

_Kick, punch, roll, stab._

_Duck, duck, roll, stab, push._

This went on and on as I fought my way to Desmond, determined to kill the little man. I was right in a small dirt area clear of any big rocks that wer in front of the boulder that Desmond sat on. Our eyes met, his lighted with amusement, mine filled with pain, anger, determination, and a lust for vengeance. I was about to jump up on the boulder and kill the sorry son of a bitch when he suddenly smirked at me and I felt big hands roughly shove me to the ground. I gasped when I heard a maniacal laugh behind me.

I jumped to my feet and whirled around, my swords blocking the attack from the sword of another zombie. My eyes narrowed. "Murlough." I hissed as we started circling each other, ignoring all the other zombies and non-zombies around us. "Hello, my pretty!" he cackled. I narrowed my eyes. Why does he seem to have the ability to think and make his own decisions? "I bet my pretty didn't expect Murlough to come back for her, hm?" he snickered, slashing my arm with his sword. I flipped backwards, landing in a crouched position. I looked up at him, and his eyes widened in fear when he saw the look in my eyes.

"Actually, Murlough, I can't express how happy I am to see you…now I can kill you myself you bastard." I sneered before I jumped towards him, lightning quick, and decapitated him. Somehow, over all the cries and yells and clinking of weapons, I could hear Mr. Tiny's laughter. I looked up slowly at him and saw him giving me an evil smirk. I narrowed my eyes at him.

Darren looked up to see his love slowly raising her sword and pointing at Mr. Tiny. He nearly got his arm chopped off, had it not been for Steve stabbing the Zombie before him. Steve looked irritated but then saw what Darren was looking at. Vanessa's eyes…they were blank and so…cold. She looked murderous.

"Desmond, get your ass down here and fight me!" She shouted. Desmond cackled at her as his son, Hibernius Tall, jumped up and slashed a zombie that had tried to sneak up behind her. "Defeat my army and you can." Mr. Tiny said, his face twisting into some horrific look of amusement.

Suddenly, dust started swirling around Vanessa and Mr. Tall and the next thing Darren and Steve knew, Mr. Crepsley, Arra, Kurda, and Gavner surrounded them, pressing swords to their throats. Vanessa watched as blood trickled down her neck. Her green eyes were shielded by her bangs, which fell along her face. Suddenly, she started shaking. Mr. Tiny's grin widened, along with Steve and Darren's eyes. Surely she wasn't giving up? Not after all they'd gone through.

Then, as Mr. Tiny's grin was wiped off his face, the boys realized that she wasn't breaking down, she was…she was _laughing._ It started as a deep rumble and then a chuckle, a chortle, until she was laughing loudly. Darren's eyes widened. "She's lost it." Steve said quietly as he stared at her, his eyes studying her closely.

"Defeat your army, eh?" she cackled. She suddenly raised her arms along with her head, showing her face. It was completely calm, a small smile on her face, her eyes closed. She snapped her eyes open, grinning mischievously, and flexed her arms. Then, all the attacking stopped; the zombies froze, including her family.

"Oh no…" Darren whispered. "She…" he couldn't finish his thought. "Vanessa's gone now, she's gone crazy." Steve whispered. She was using her powers to control the _entire army._

I smirked as I clenched my fists, making the zombies fall to the ground, dead. I unsheathed my sword and darted forward, faster than any other vampire and appeared in front of Desmond. I dropped to my feet as he sent a blast of energy at my face and knocked his knees from underneath him. He disappeared and re appeared by a large boulder next to the river that ran through the rocky plain. I ran towards him and soon noticed that Darren and Steve had charged after me, ready to fight.

We pressed on until we all surrounded Mr. Tiny. As we were still running, I took out a few flying stars and expertly chucked them at Desmond, who narrowly avoided the first one. The second one lodged itself into his chest. He growled as he ripped it out and threw the bloodied piece of metal on the ground.

"And here I thought we could discuss a bargain." He growled. I glared at him. "What makes you think you have anything we want?" I asked icily, my swords secured tightly in both hands. Steve had his shotgun aimed at Desmond's head and Darren had a metal spear that seemed to be buzzing with electricity.

Mr. Tiny's eyes gleamed and I realized too late that I gave him a slim chance of survival. I cursed myself as he began to speak. "There's more to the prophecy, my dear children." He said, looking at Darren and Steve. They looked back at him in unease. Did he just call them his children? Desmond smirked. "Yes yes, Darren and Steve, you are my sons, the Sons of Destiny." He said.

Steve and Darren looked at him, dumbfounded. Desmond continued. "The Vampaneze Lord and the Vampire Prince…you two were to fight to the death in order to choose who would be The Lord of The Shadows." I glared at him. "And what makes you think they'd want to fight each other to the death for another silly title?" I growled. Desmond looked at the Steve when he said this. "The Lord of the Shadows will get The Vampire Princess. She will be his for the remainder of their lives." I froze and looked at Steve. His hand shook slightly.

I knew then that the seed Desmond planted was growing. I knew Steve loved me, but I didn't know if he would kill Darren in order for me to be his. Suddenly he shouted out in pain and crumpled to the ground. I rushed to his side as Darren kept an eye on Desmond. I held Steve and whispered to him, trying to figure out what was going on. Then his eyes snapped up towards me. I gasped and fell away from him. His entire eyes had turned black. I looked at Desmond and realized he had control of him.

I turned towards Darren to see that he too had been put under his control. Desmond waved his hand towards me, slamming me into a boulder. I groaned and tried to move, but couldn't. I glared at him. "What the hell did you do to them?" I screamed, thrashing against the invisible barrier. Desmond cackled.

"They're fighting, can't you see?" he asked as Darren and Steve started to fight each other. I helplessly struggled. _No…no…no, no, no, no, NO!_

Eric looked around and saw Vancha supporting Evra. He then saw Mr. Tall walking around, tending to the wounded Cirque members. Eric frowned. Where was the boss though? He walked towards Mr. Tall, wiping blood off of his forehead. "Hey Mr. T…have you seen the boss?" he asked him. Mr. Tall nodded grimly.

"She, Darren, and Steve went off to defeat my father." He said, looking out towards the river. He froze. "They're in trouble!" Eric shouted. Mr. Tall nodded in agreement. They both saw Steve and Darren fighting each other, but where was Vanessa? They took off running; kicking, slashing, and shooting any remaining zombies that stood in their way.

Eric still couldn't believe that his mentor, the nice, funny, stubborn woman held so much power inside her. Sure, Eric had no doubt she was strong, he wouldn't be surprised if she was one of the strongest Vampires with the way she would take Vancha down in their practices, but he never knew she was _that_ powerful.

As soon as they reached the river, they had the undivided attention of Desmond Tiny. Eric winced on the inside. _Shit…_

My eyes widened when I heard footsteps running towards us, and I was horrified when I recognized them as Eric and Mr. Tall's. I fought even harder against the stupid barrier so I could keep them safe and then kill Desmond.

"Hello, my son. Hello Eric, assistant of Vanessa." Desmond said pleasantly. I fought against the barrier with more strength than I ever knew I had. Suddenly, more zombies appeared and started attacking Eric and Mr. Tall. As they were fighting, I noticed one of the zombies pulling out a gun…that was aimed for Hibernius.

Right at that moment, I broke free of the barrier. "Mr. Tall!" I screamed. He whirled around and his eyes widened slightly when he heard the sound of a gunshot, but he was too late. I pushed Mr. Tall to the ground and took in a sharp intake of breath as the bullet pierced my chest and went through my right lung.

"Vanessa?" I looked up slowly, clutching my chest to see Darren and Steve staring at me, their eyes wide with fear. They dropped their weapons and ran towards me as I fell to the ground, wheezing. I looked up at Desmond's face. He seemed surprised that I took the bullet, but was happy none the less. He was that much closer to killing me off.

"Steve…Darren…" I wheezed, looking up into their concerned faces. "I'm sorry." Steve seemed confused and Darren looked disappointed. I gave them a small smile before raising my hands, taking them into my control, walking them over behind Mr. Tall, and dropping them, leaving the boys unconscious. I painfully stood up.

"Stop your games, Desmond. I will defeat you, you're just prolonging your ass whooping and I can guarantee you that the longer you wait, the more you'll suffer." I snarled, pulling out my sword. He glared at me. "I must say, Princess," He began, sneering my coveted title. "I am quite impressed. I didn't think that you could actually break my barrier. Well done." He said sarcastically. I smirked. "I wasn't made a Vampire Princess for nothing."

With that, I darted straight towards him and raised my sword. When I brought it down…it hit Darren's sword. My eyes widened. "Darren?" I gasped. Desmond cackled. "Don't forget, Vanessa, you never turn your back on an enemy." I whirled around and fell on my back, blocking Steve's sword as well.

I gritted my teeth before spinning and knocking their feet out from under them. I back flipped off the rock and looked up at them as they regained their footing. "Guys? Guys! Steve, Darren! Wake up! It's me, Vanessa, Desmond is controlling you!" I shouted desperately as they jumped off the rock and came towards me. I dropped my sword. It was useless against them, I couldn't hurt them, and Desmond knew that.

_Flip, duck, twist, slide._

_Duck, push, fall, roll._

_Push, kick, duck, flip._

This continued for hours, and I was starting to get tired. I couldn't even get help; Eric and Mr. Tall were occupied by the seemingly never-ending zombies they've been fighting. I had managed to take Steve's gun and snap it in half, throwing it in the river, but that didn't accomplish much; he just pulled out a couple daggers. I ran as they chased me down, Steve throwing his daggers at me as he went. I flipped and landed in the river.

_What do I do, what do I do?_

"Boss! The river!" I heard Eric shout. I froze and looked around me as Darren and Steve slowly made their way into the river. I gasped. _That's it!_ I waited for them to surround me before pulling the water up, causing thick spirals of water to wrap around them up to their necks and froze them.

I looked up at Desmond, panting as I tried to ignore the pain in my chest. "Ready to fight me instead of hiding behind your stupid tricks?" I growled. He frowned. "Really, Crepsley, what do you hope to accomplish by defeating me, eh?" he asked. I glared at him. "To get rid of the Earth's sick and twisted, demented Destiny." I answered. "Oh? And who is to take my place when that happens, hm? Stupid girl, you haven't even thought that far into this. If someone isn't doing what I do, then the Earth will be destroyed, the universe will fall apart." He snarled. I blinked.

He was right, I didn't think that far…but the Spirits, the Cosmos…they came to _me._ I stood up straighter and picked up my swords as I walked out of the river. "I accept your challenge Desmond. I _will_ kill you and then _I_ will rule the universe." Mr. Tall's head snapped towards me.

"Vanessa, no!" He shouted. It was too late though. Desmond gave me an amused smirk, pissing me off to no end, and faster than a blink, I appeared before him. He looked confused, and then frightened, and then…it was over. He looked down to see that I had stabbed him in the heart. He looked up at me, wincing as I turned the sword in the wound, making it even more painful.

"You will do well, Vanessa Arra Vur Anne Crepsley…you will do well." And with that, he deteriorated and disappeared.

The zombies all turned to dust and Steve and Darren returned to normal. Mr. Tall watched as Vanessa stared up at the sky. Hibernius looked up as well to see the cosmos. His eyes widened. It was impossible to see all those galaxies, all the stars in Earth's atmosphere. "Did we win?" He looked over to see Steve and Darren sauntering over, leaning on each other for support. "Hell yeah we did!" Eric said, walking up next to them. Darren saw the look on Hibernius' face. "Mr. Tall…what's wrong?"

Mr. Tall looked up at Vanessa. Her eyes were closed and she was…glowing. You could see her aura around her; it was a pale blue color, just like her mother's. They all watched as it slowly turned purple, just like her father's. Mr. Tall's eyes widened. "What's happening, Mr. Tall?" Steve whispered as her aura turned a fierce red and disappeared. Vanessa slowly opened her eyes and smiled…but it was off. She looked over towards the four males and walked over to them, gracefully dropping from the boulder.

Mr. Tall frowned as she came closer. Her eyes…they were red. "Whoa, what happened there boss?" Eric asked. Vanessa looked at him as she sheathed her swords. "I've been made Destiny." She said quietly. Mr. Tall narrowed his eyes. He was doubtful. "What happened to your eyes?" He asked. She looked at Mr. Tall for a few moments before answering. "My eye color changed as part of the transformation, they said it was a good sign, that means my body isn't rejecting all the power and capabilities." She answered. She then turned back to Steve and Darren.

"I have been made an immortal." She said. The boys' eyes widened. They knew what that meant. Even though they aged slowly, they would still age and die, unlike Vanessa. Hibernius knew she could age, if she so chooses, but she will not die and the aging will stop eventually, as it did with him.

"They said I could make someone immortal, to stay with me." She said staring at the boys. They looked at each other and back at her. That's when Mr. Tall knew. He grabbed Vanessa's wrist, demanding her attention.

She turned her hateful gaze on him. He glared at her; this was not part of the plan. Vanessa was a warrior, this wasn't her place. She was meant to fight for the Earth…not rule it. Mr. Tall knew then that she had, in actuality, carried out Desmond's plan. It wasn't who he thought it would be, but he was indeed rewarded with finding and creating The Lord of The Shadows.

"Vanessa, you fool, what have you done?"

**Songs of this Story:**

Steve, Vanessa, and Darren's Song: Your Betrayal by Bullet For My Valentine

Vanessa's Songs: What You Want by Evanescence, Marionette by The Paper Melody

Vanessa and Mr. Crepsley's Song: Broken by Seether featuring Amy Lee

Vanessa and Darren's Song: When You Can't Sleep At Night by Of Mice & Men

Lily's Lullaby: Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift

Steve and Vanessa's Song: Adam and Eve by The Paper Melody**  
**

_**And that, my dear friends, is The End of The Vampire Game.**_

_**I will put up its sequel soon, and might go back to the first few chapters and edit some stuff.**_

_**But, otherwise, this story is now *sniffle* Complete.**_

_**I would like to thank all my fans, readers, and reviewers. **_

_**This story would be NOTHING without you guys, this would have been an incomplete fic if it hadn't been for you guys. **_

_**Your reviews make me smile and I can't tell you how many times I'd just sit there, reading all the reviews for this story to remind myself that I couldn't quit writing this.**_

_**So thank you all so so much.**_

_**This is totally a bitter sweet moment for me. Bitter because the story is over, but sweet because it's over and I can give my AMAZING readers the rest of its story. So thank you all so much (:**_

_**Keni**_


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